The List
by Typhoon73
Summary: Sequel of Our Lady's Tears. This story takes place one and a half year after the team's last delicate case. Jane and Maura are newly-wed and they enjoy their time together. But soon, the new found peace is overshadowed again by murders that Jane and her team will investigate. But with time the case starts to get personal for Jane and she loses herself in it.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey, people. So, here is the sequel of Our Lady's Tears already. I hope you'll like this opening. For those who haven't read the previous story, you might do to understand the context.**

 **I hope you enjoy this story as well.**

 **T73.**

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She is standing in front of the mirror and makes a pouty face as she looks down at her. She is more than surprised that her friends had talked her into that, she isn't really sure if that is appropriate. She turns her nose up and groans loudly.

She knows that this isn't all about her, her presence is more like a formality. She wouldn't have mind it if they would have eloped in the dead of the night. Well, if she would have had the chance to do so. She felt like a inmate as her mother had forced her to spent several nights with her and her siblings.

Jane Rizzoli groans again and slumps down on the small black couch. She props her elbows on the knees and stares down at her shiny shoes. She is frowning deeply and asks herself how many times she had simonized them since she had to leave the main house just to distract herself from her all the things her mother had planned. She sighs heavily and rubs nervously her sweaty hands.

It has been a while since had been so nervous like now. Even when she asked a girl out for the first time, she wasn't so nervous like right now. Her heart is threatening to burst out of her chest and she has the feeling that she is passing out at any moment, and all she wants right now is to get this done.

Under other circumstances she would get out of this room and would disappear without a word to anyone. But if she is doing this now, she would never forgive herself, and she is positive that her family would feel the same way towards her. She knows that she has the tendency to run when it gets emotional delicate, but she also knows that this must seals the deal, and that only the best will follow after today.

Jane is looking up and frowns as the door opens.

Korsak is about to say something as he enters the room and freezes immediately when he looks into panicking brown eyes. "You're not getting cold feet, are you?"

She rolls her eyes and shrugs. "I am a little nervous." She pauses and shakes her head with a laugh. "This whole thing is scaring the shit out of me, Vince. What if I fail?"

"It would surprise me when you don't make any mistakes, Jane." He states and sits down next to her.

She looks long at him and raises her eyebrows with a small smile. "Gee, thanks."

He chuckles and shrugs with a sigh. "It is normal to doubt everything on such a big day, and to be scared, Jane. It wouldn't be normal if you're not scared, you are about to make a huge step in your life, it will change everything. And sometimes there will be days that aren't so great and you probably stay at the office. But for your sake I hope that these days won't overweight the good days. When I was in your situation for the first time, I was sitting on a couch with the same expression and the same thoughts. I was scared like hell and wondered what would happen if we don't work out."

"You didn't work out, Korsak." The Italian retorts and arches an brow.

He nods approvingly and sighs. "No, we didn't, but you are not about to go to war, are you?"

"No," she mumbles and purses her lips. "No, I am not."

"And it's not like that she doesn't know what she get herself into."

"No."

Korsak smiles and pats Jane's shoulder fatherly. "Jane, I can tell you that she is not less nervous than you are."

"Why," Jane asks with an high-pitched voice and her eyes are huge as saucers. "I mean, she already had the whole darn thing. She knows what happens next. I, on the other hand, rather run or pass out in front of all those people."

The older man chuckles amused and shakes his head. "You're not passing out or run, I make sure of that. And if that means that I have to cuff you or wake you with smelling salt. And she didn't have it with you. Let's see Ben as a … warming-up."

"That sounds awful." She states and laughs heartily.

He joins her laughter and gets up to his feet. "I know. Now, get up from that damn couch, Rizzoli."

Jane sighs heavily and stands up from the furniture and furrows her brows. "I feel like an idiot." She whines all of a sudden.

Korsak rolls his eyes and glares at the Italian. "Because you're wearing your dress uniform instead of something else?"

She heaves a sigh and nods approvingly.

"You are wearing your uniform because you said empathetically that hell would freeze over before you're going to wear any kind of dresses and you declined each suit Maura had suggested. And Maura warned you not to show up in nothing but your skin."

"Yeah," Jane chuckles and nods dreamily. "Though that would spare us a -"

"Stop right there," Korsak interrupts her and makes a face. He really likes Jane as his friend, but he doesn't want to imagine her in such a situation.

She snorts amused and runs her hands down her front. As Korsak already has said, she is wearing her dress uniform and her hair are up in a tight bun, like she is attending a very important event. "How do I look?"

"Ready," he answers without a second thought as he eyes her from head to toes and smiles broadly. "You should get going by now."

Jane nods approvingly and engulf him in a hug. "Thank you, Vince."

He hugs her back, closes his eyes and is patting her back. "You're more than welcome, Jane."

She nods once more and makes her way to the door, smiling before she leaves the room.

Korsak stays for a moment in the room and sighs heavily. He still can remember when he met Jane for the first time when she was still the newbie and thought she would have to prove that she is a man just like the other men Homicide, and how he had skeptical thoughts when he saw her. But he soon saw great potential in the Italian and gave her the chance she deserved. Fortunately.

He sighs heavily and shoves his hands into the trouser pockets of his very own dress uniform and leaves the empty room as well. "They grow up so fast." He mumbles to himself and chuckles.

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Jane is shifting nervously her weight from one foot to the other and has to suppress the urge to bury her sweaty hands deeply in her pocket. She catches a warningly glare of her already crying mother and tugs in her chin.

Angela is sitting in the first roar and rolls her eyes and want to scowl her daughter, but instead a sob escapes from her throat and a broad smiling Hope is patting her knee.

Jane is now rolling her eyes but lovingly smile is grazing her lips. She shakes her head and looks with an raised eyebrow at her brother Frankie, who is wearing as well his uniform, and he chuckles.

He knows that Jane is freaking out on the inside and is surprised that she can keep up such an calm façade.

When Jane had asked him to be her best man, he haven't hesitate for a second and said that he is more than honored that she asked him instead of Frost or Korsak.

He nods encouragingly at his sister and smirks as she sighs again and he can tell that she really likes to growl impatiently.

Frost presses his lips together so he can't laugh and drops his chin to his chest. He shrugs a little as Jane is glaring at her.

Jane takes a deep breath and straightens her shoulder. Slowly but surely her impatience is getting the best of her. She tells herself if this thing doesn't get started in five minutes, she is out of here.

Her heart nearly stops and she holds her breath as all of the sudden the music starts and everyone's attention are shifting to the wide entrance. All of a sudden she has to tell her legs not to move an inch as panic is grabbing her tightly and merciless.

"I swear, I break your legs before you make your first step." Frankie growls low through gritted teeth and she knows that he means it.

Jane licks her dry lips and nods decently to herself. Suddenly, her knees are giving in as Korsak is rounding the corner and Maura at his arm.

Her blond locks are parted at the side, twisted and then gathered up loosely at the back forming an intricate chignon. And she wears a beige graceful beaded mermaid lace Chapel train dress that hugs her at the right places. The smile on her lips is priceless.

For a moment she looks worriedly as it seems like Jane is staying true to her word and is about to pass out.

The Italian is cursing herself and straightens up again with red cheeks. She can see that the doctor has to swallow her laugh and huffs. She already has seen Maura in many breathtaking dresses, but this one tops them all. She is sure that her mother had a lot to do with the color selection, but she doesn't mind it a bit.

Her hands are twitching and she wants to touch Maura's hand as she steps next to her and pulls her head back as the smaller woman glares at her.

 _Jesus_ , she thinks to herself furls slightly her brows. She takes a deep breath and plays with her hands as the ceremony begins. The can think lf nothing more than to finally touch the Italian woman next to her, to kiss her to hold her close, to do all of these things for the rest of her life.

The detective can feel the sweat running down her back and frowns slightly because it is embarrassing. She swallows hard because her heart is thudding like crazy in her chest. She never has thought that she would get married and she hadn't thought that she would have the honor to marry Dr. Maura Isles.

Jane looks at the blonde and she could melt into a puddle as she sees the endearing smile on Maura's lips and the spark in her eyes. She might had attended Maura's first wedding, but Maura did not as beautiful as right now back then.

She blinks a couple of times when she hears her name and she comes out of her haze. She looks questioningly at the priest.

He frowns and smiles amused. "Do you have a vow, Jane?"

Jane blushes again. "Um , what -" She says before she realizes what he has asked. "Um, yes. Yes, I have." She takes a deep breath and turns to the blonde, taking her hand in her own. "Maura, you have been my best friend, my teacher, my colleague, my confidant and my greatest challenge. But most importantly, you are the love of my life and you make me happier than I could ever imagine and more loved than I ever thought possible …." She pauses and squeezes Maura's hand with a soft smile. "You have made me a better person, as our love for one another is reflected in the way I live my life. So I am truly blessed to be a part of your life, which as of today becomes our life together." She says and slips on a white gold ring engraved pattern of roses, and at both edges are small white diamonds inserted.

Maura blinks the tears in her eyes back as she heard her name and she holds the Italian's intense gaze. "Jane, I believe in you, the person you will grow to be and the couple we will be together. With my whole heart, I take you as my wife, acknowledging and accepting your faults and strengths, as you do mine. I promise to be faithful and supportive, and to make our happiness my priority. I will be your in plenty and in want, in sickness and in health, in failure and in triumph. I will dream with you, celebrate with you and walk beside you through whatever our lives may bring. You are my person -" She holds Jane's gaze and slips on a ring that is similar to her, expect the diamonds. "My love and my life, today and always."

None of them are really sure if they got the okay to kiss, but the cheering of the audience is encouraging them even more.

Jane is kissing the smaller woman gently but with determination to make sure that she'll be the last person Maura wants to kiss that way. She places her hands on the doctor's hips and pulls her even closer. Almost a week had gone by since the last time she had felt Maura's soft lips on hers and she moans low. It doesn't happen often, but right now a tear is rolling down her cheek.

Maura is kissing the Italian back and she wraps her arms around Jane's neck. It doesn't matter really much that there are other persons in the same room with them, and stifles a moan with a smile. She pulls away and both of the women a smiling like idiots while the guest are clapping their hands, whistle and howl.

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Jane is standing at the counter of the bar and sips her beer while she is watching her family and friends dancing and chatting with each other. She takes a deep breath and runs an hand through her hair. She had let it down after the real party had started. She is still wearing her uniform but got rid of the tie, and the top button of her shirt is undone.

Someone says, "Excuse me, officer."

Jane furrows her eyebrows and turns her head in the direction and starts to smirk as Maura walks towards her, arching an brow. "Officer, huh?"

Maura is grinning and steps into Jane's personal space, running and hand under the shirt collar. "You were about to run, weren't you?"

Jane sighs heavily and shrugs. "For the tiniest second as I was standing at the altar because I thought you'll take forever until you come out. I wanted to grab the guys and have some drinks."

Maura huffs and swats the taller woman's shoulder, but then she smiles as her **wife** pulls her closer and smiles as Jane starts to hum _Come Away With Me_ by Norah Jones with the song in the background. She closes her eyes and wraps her arms around the detective's neck as Jane starts to sway them gently, memorizing this moment.

A whole new warmth is filling her entire body and she runs her hand over the back of Jane's neck, wishing that this moment would never end.


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you all for reading and following this story, I am glad that you like it as well, and I hope that you will like this update too. Of course you are welcome to tell me what ya think.**

 **Anyway, enjoy this chapter.**

 **T73.**

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Maura laughs heartily and forces Jane to come up her naked body again. "Jane, I need a break. Just a little one."

Jane is looking predatory at her and she furrows her eyebrows as she hovers over her wife. "Why? Are you getting old?" She smirks as the blonde glares at her. She rolls off of Maura and looks up at the ceiling and sighs content. She isn't sure what day of the week is or if they are already back to Boston or still on Fiji.

The doctor turns on her left side and places her hand under her head, letting her eyes wander over the naked body of the Italian. "It's not because of age, Jane, but I need to take a breath."

Jane looks at her and frowns with a smirk, but then she turns on her right and traces Maura's curvy side with her hand. "God, you are beautiful."

Maura smiles broadly and props herself up on her elbow. "So are you, Jane."

Jane is following her hand with her eyes and memorizes every single inch of Maura's body. She still can't believe that they really got married just eight weeks ago and that the doctor still hasn't regretted her decision. She is sure that she gave Maura any reason to do so during their honeymoon because she complained a lot if Maura suggested a sightseeing or a day at the beach. If it would have been about the detective, they would have spent their entire homeroom, and only would have left the room for food and beverages.

She smiles when Maura is caressing her cheek with her hand and kisses her palm.

Maura smiles sweetly back and closes the gap of their lips. "I love you and I don't regret marrying you."

"Still," the detective asks and arches an eyebrow, grinning.

"But I will if you won't stop asking me that all over again," the blonde laughs and straddles Jane's hips. She bends down and becomes serious when she feels rough hands caress her bare thighs. She is biting her bottom lip as she holds her wife's intense gaze and feels a tingle in her lower abdomen. They barely left the bedroom since they are back in Boston and their return is a week ago. She didn't know that there would be someone out there for her from whom she hardly could keep her hands off, but Jane is fulfilling her, making her feel complete and loves her for being who she truly is. She close the gap of their lips and kisses the detective like she never had kissed anyone before.

Jane is a little taken aback but she recovers fast and her hand are wandering up on her wife's back, moaning from the back of her throat. She decides to let Maura be in control of the pace and whimpers in protest as the ME pulls away. "This is not funny." She whines with a pouty face.

Maura smirks and braces herself on the shoulders of Jane and shakes her head with a smile as Jane keeps staring on her breasts. "My eyes are up here, Jane."

The Italian drags her eyes up slowly and nods approvingly. "And those are very beautiful too."

Maura scoffs and rolls off of the brunette again, getting out of the bed. "We can't spend the entire day in bed, **again**."

"Why not?"

"Because we need to eat and drink, detective."

"All of this is overrated."

"And I would like to be longer married to you than just eight weeks."

Jane takes a deep breath and lays back on the mattress and ponders the words of her wife, nodding approvingly. Somehow she sees where Maura is coming from, but she is still not willed to face her family or work at the precinct. Actually, it is the first time that she is feeling that way and it surprises her. There never was a thing that could keep her away from work, but Maura are pushing buttons that really makes her domestic. Sometimes in those eight weeks of marriage she even is catching herself dreaming about a bigger house and sound of tiny footsteps on the stairs. She has never thought that she would even think about having kids since she is really together with the ME, but somehow her entire life is about to change, the way of her thinking.

She flinch as a bottle of water appears in front of her eyes and she accepts it gratefully. "Thank you, **honey**."

Maura smiles broadly, the kind of smile when the single dimple on her left cheek pops out and the kind the Italian loves so much. She knows that Jane hates pet names and that she only uses the term when she is worried or shaken to the bone. The blonde runs an hand through black locks and scrutinizes Jane's face. "What were you thinking about?"

Jane is sitting up and sips from Maura's water. "Um, that I am really surprised that my mother indeed respect our privacy and don't burst in our room …" She tugs in her chin. " **Since we are back**."

The blonde laughs amused and takes the bottle back. "Maybe she is thinking that we are working on her next grandchild."

Jane is grinning and looks at her with predatory eyes. "If I would be capable you would be pregnant with septuplets already." She growls and buries the smaller woman underneath her.

Maura doesn't admonish her wife because of the spilled water onthe sheets and puts the almost empty bottle on the closest nightstand. "I am sure about that. I am -"

Jane presses her lips to Maura's before she can start her scientifical lecture about human reproduction.

The doctor laughs muffled, but then she turns serious again as Jane shifts and lays between her legs again. She drags her nails over a muscly back and her eyes are rolling in the back of her head as the Italian is gently nibbling and sucking on her neck.

She never had experienced that her libido is driving her so crazy than with Jane. Just a thought of the detective is drenching her panties.

Jane hums with a smile and her hand is slowly sneaking down their bodies with Maura's center as its goal.

"Jane?"

Jane is freezing and looks at Maura like she is hallucinating, like she is thinking about her mother as she is about to have sex with her wife.

"I heard it too, Jane," Maura whispers without moving an inch.

Jane groans and drops her head to Maura's collarbone. So much about their privacy. She looks up and shrugs. "Maybe, if we don't move, she goes away again." She whispers back and sees her wife's glare.

"Jane, I know that you are here. You and Maura haven't left the house in a week." Angela's voice fills the house. "I just dropped by to leave some pasta for the two of you."

Jane looks hopefully up and frowns. "Thanks, Ma."

"You're welcome, baby."

Maura's body is shaking and Jane looks at her, frustration is already taking over. "Please tell me that this will stop."

"It will, after Angela got used to the new situation." Maura chuckles and kisses the Italian gently. "Then she only sneak in and leaves the food on the kitchen island. We'll get used to it."

Jane groans once more and she buries her face in her wife's crook. She realizes that her mother really can be a handful. She has no idea why she kept her hopes up that this behavior could change. Other people would have kicked her out of the guest house already, but neither she nor Maura have had the heart to do so. Angela is a must-have that is hard to handle and that doesn't suit everybody.

Jane would never admit it, but somehow she enjoys having her mother around, just not in such situations like right now. She and Maura had talked for five minutes about the living situation and that Angela could move into the detective's condo, rent-free of course. But they both agreed that their house would lose its charm with out an Angela Rizzoli. And of course none of them would tell that the Rizzoli matriarch.

Maura smiles the smile that turns Jane into a mess and kisses her gently.

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Jane comes into the bullpen in her usual black suit and a mint green shirt like she never was away for eight weeks, the only difference is the shiny ring on her left ring finger.

Korsak is standing at the coffeemaker and he has to admit that he is surprised seeing her wearing her wedding band at work.

Frost pours himself a cup of coffee and nudge the older man's side. "You can pick up your jaw from the floor, old man."

Korsak rolls his eyes and walks to his desk. "Welcome back, Jane."

Jane tries to play it cool and hangs her jacket over the back of her chair. She did enjoy the time with only Maura, but somehow she was missing the feeling of the weight of her gun and the badge on her hips. And of course she was missing her friends. She smirks and looks at the two men. "Hey."

Korsak is the first who is at her side and engulf her in a hug. "It's good to have you back."

"It's good to be back," she says before she hugs a smirking Frost. "How were you guys keeping up. Some serial killer that you had to catch without us?"

Frost turns the corners of his mouth downward and shakes his head. "They are only wait for you."

"Promising," Jane replies and raises her eyebrows. She smirks and looks at the two men. She wanna do a lot of things at work, but she doesn't wanna start her life as a married woman with a complicated case.

She hugs Frost tightly and can't feel the help that she is back at home.

He pats her shoulder and nods. "You look more than well-rested. How was Fiji?"

The Italian opens her mouth to answer Frost's question, but then she realizes that he surely doesn't want to know about their honeymoon which Maura and she had mainly spent in the hotel room. She frowns and recalls the beautiful sunsets they had watched from the balcony or beach. She starts to smile and nods slowly. "Beautiful, I have never seen such sunsets like there my entire life. We bought you some souvenirs, but I thought it would be inappropriate to bring them here. You two are welcome to have a beer at our house after work."

"Who could turn down such a invitation?" Korsak asks and chuckles with Frost. He nods approvingly. "We will come."

Jane watches a young Asian woman leave Cavanaugh's office and he follows her, shaking her hand with a broad smile. "Guys, who is that?"

Korsak looks in the same direction and frowns deeply. "That is Paige Williams, the new DA."

The Italian is more than confused and that's what her facial expression is mirroring. She knew that Ben has been thinking about doing request a transfer, but she thought that this only should be a mind game. He and she never became best friends and he still do owe her a box of Single Malt Scotch. But they still do respect each other on a professional level.

She looks at the two men and furrows her eyebrows. "Where will he be transferred to?"

"I heard that he's going to move to the west coast," Frost states and shrugs. "I thought you would be happy."

Jane lowers her eyebrows and exhales slowly through her mouth. "I might did not like him in private, but he is a damn good lawyer."

Frost is nodding approvingly. "True."

"Though be still owe me some bottles of Scotch."

"Excuse me," he asks confused and Korsak starts to laugh with Jane.

"Never mind," she laughs and waves his question off with an hand.

Frost rolls his eyes and shakes his head.

They turns their heads to the entrance of the bullpen as they hear a family clicking of heels and Jane starts to beam when her wife comes into the office.

Maura is wearing a beige pencil skirt and a black blouse and Jane is growling low, not really knowing why..

"Hey, Doc." Korsak says with a broad smile and goes hugging her. "Good to see you."

Maura laughs surprised and is hugging him back. "It's good to see you too, Vince."

"Welcome back," Frost says and hugs her as well.

"Thank you," she says and smiles like an idiot.

Jane is grinning and leans back in her chair. "Let me make a guess. All your lovely employees made sure that all your paperwork is done before you come back to work."

Maura nods once and can see that her wife's desk is empty as well. "I can see that your colleagues did the same for you."

"You're welcome," Frost says and sits down at his desk.

Jane smirks and nods gratefully. "Thank you." She says and turns her chair to the ME. "I invited the guys for a beer after work."

Maura with a smile and places an hand on the detective's shoulder. "Yeah, then you could finally christen your kettle barbecue."

Jane sees the questioningly gazes of the two men and shrugs. "Frankie's wedding gift."

"I hope the two of you have a good household insurance," Korsak states and be ducks his head as a pencil is flying in his direction, chuckling.

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Jane is still surprised that not a single idiot did commit a murder during her whole shift and that they could call it a day at eight P.M. on the dot.

She lays down on her side of the bed and watches Maura reading in one of her medical magazines. "Though it was a very slow first day back at work it was good to be with the guys."

Maura is lowering the magazine and smiles. "It is indeed, I did miss them as much as you, Jane."

The Italian takes a deep breath and somehow she has the feeling that the doctor is mad for whatever reason. "Are you made because I asked them over?"

Maura is furling her eyebrows and shakes her head. "Why are you thinking that, Jane?"

The Italian shrugs and purses her lips. "I don't know, but you weren't very talkative tonight."

Maura closes her magazine and puts it on her nightstand, turning on her left. "I am not mad, Jane. I enjoyed the evening with our **family**. It's just -" She smiles a shrugs. "I my entire career there was never a moment I didn't have anything to do and I could keep my mind occupied. But when I came to work today, everything was done. I know that my employees meant it well -"

"But you wish that there would have been one bit of paperwork that you still have to do." Jane finishes the sentence and her wife nods. "I really love my job, and I hate to say it out loud, but today was a really boring day at the office."

"Yes it was," Maura agrees and starts to chuckle. "We are awful people."

Jane places an hand on Maura's hip and caresses it over the silky fabric of the night. "I know. How screwed up must we be that we are get bored by a normal day in the office?"

Maura smiles broadly and shrugs with a sigh, she had asked herself the same question in her very own office. She turns serious again. "Maybe we are used to so many murders that a slow day is seeming od to us."

Jane gets her drift and frowns. "You mean that se got obsessed with complicated cases?"

"Maybe."

"So obsessed that a normal day seems to bore us?"

The ME shrugs and Jane switch off her bedside lamp with a groan. "All right, Maura. Now we sound like crazy investigators who would commit a murder, like a fire fighter becomes a firebug. We should be happy for having a relaxed time."

"I know," Maura agrees and turns off her bedside lamp as well, looking at her wife. "Are we cuddling now?"

Jane tugs in her chin and lowers her eyebrows. "Yes, please." She says and welcomes the blonde in her arms.

Maura hums content and smiles as Jane is pulling her closer. Already in the first place she was surprised that the detective is a cuddler in bed, because she always claimed that she doesn't is a person who shows deeper feelings in public. She sneaks her hands under the fabric of Jane's shirt and sighs content once more.

Jane is smiling and rolls her eyes before she pulls the smaller woman even closer.

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Jane groans in the middle of the night as soon as her brain recognizes the sound of her buzzing phone. She shakes her head and turns away from her wife, pulling the cover her head. She isn't in the mood for answering anyone's calls at such time of night. She just wanna stay in bed and pretend that the world is good. She growls dangerously when Maura starts to shake her at the shoulder. She wants to glare at the doctor, but the darkness in the room makes it hard.

She sighs heavily and grabs her phone from her nightstand, looking at its display. She runs an hand through her hair and takes the call. "Rizzoli." She listens attentively and switch on the small lamp.

Maura turns her head to the Italian and she can tell that something must have happened, because Jane's whole body language has changed and she is about to get out of the bed. Her first thought that something happened to Frankie or Tommy, but her wife's calm demeanor tells her that it's none of them. If something happened to Jane's family, the Italian would be out of the door already.

The blonde sits up and watches Jane closely, switching on her own lamp. She waits until Jane hangs up again and she asks, "Jane, what is it?"

The detective doesn't look at the ME and let her head hang. "Reality has us back," she grumbles and gets up to her feet. "Come on, Maura, get up. We have to be at a crime scene."

Maura makes a face and fold back the cover, getting out of the bed.

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The two women are arriving at the new crime scene in Public Garden. It is still dark and the park is dived in the blue light of the police cars.

Jane ducks under the yellow tape and puts on a pair of gloves looking at her wife, who walks silently beside her. Neither Maura nor she had the patience to bother themselves with the question what they're going to wear before they leave the house, that's why both of them are wearing jeans, shirts and jackets. It'll be different when they head to the station later.

The detective furls her eyebrows when they reach Korsak and Frost. "What do we got?"

Korsak looks briefly at the younger man and clears his throat. "We got a male victim, white. An anonymous caller called 911 and said that there is sitting a man on a bench and that he probably is dead."

"Any ID?" Jane asks and watches her wife walking to the said bench.

The older man shakes his head and raises his brows briefly. "Nothing so far."

She purses her lips and exhales heavily through her nose, and gets her flash in her hand. She walks to the bench and studies the man intensely. He seems to be in his twenties. He has a fair complexion, he has curly dull blonde hair cut short. He is of average height, quite thin, and is dressed in a plaid shirt and a khaki pants. Something is striking her odd, though, and she tilts her head to the side. If she wouldn't any better, she would assume that he is sleeping it off.

She furrows her eyebrows and takes a deep breath. "I can't see any external wounds or ligature marks. Death from alcohol overdose?" She is wincing when Maura is glaring at her but smirks. "I just thought out loud."

Maura is rolling her eyes and shakes her head slightly , then she takes a closer look at John Doe's wrist.

Jane makes a face like she is in pain as she sees the glaring wounds in them and clenches automatically her fists. "Ouch! What the -" She looks questioningly at her wife. "How did you know that?"

"I didn't know that, Jane." The ME replies and focus back at her task. "I am just doing my job."

"I am not going to ask you if this could be the cause of death," the detective says and smiles as the doctor looks up at her. She straightens up and sighs heavily as she takes a look around in the nearly empty park. She is sure that they won't find many witnesses at this time of night and she wants to be back in honeymoon right now.


	3. NOTE

**Hey, guys. This isn't a update, this is just a information about this story. I had an new idea and it won't leave me since a couple of days. And I think that it fits better to the sequel of Our Lady's Tears than to start the next story now.**

 **I can assure you that the first two chapters, I've already posted, aren't changed, but I am changing the title of the story, its cover and a bit of the summary.**

 **So, this won't be** _ **The Puppeteer**_ **no longer, I will name it** _ **The List**_ **.**

 **If there will some confusions, I am really sorry about it, and I do hope that you still will like the story.**

 **And at least, I wanna thank all of you for reading, following favorite and reviewing.**

 **THANK YOU SO MUCH!**

 **T73.**


	4. Chapter 3

**Hi, guys. Thank you all for following again. It means much to me, and your reviews too. :) I am glad that there wasn't so much confusion because the change of the title.**

 **I know, it is just a short chapter, but I hope you will like it anyway. As always, your opinion is welcome.**

 **Thank you again and enjoy the update.**

 **T73.**

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Jane is standing in her normal working clothes in the autopsy room and takes the fingerprints of John Doe, sighing heavily. "Are the wounds in his wrists the cause of death," she asks and looks up at the blonde with a frown. Maura is holding a clipboard in her hands and writes something down, shaking her head. "No, they are not. There was a good wound treatment after his wrists got pierced through, and I can tell that these are older wounds because the wound healing already started. He died because of multiple organ failure, and he has dislocated shoulders."

"Dislocated shou -" Jane says slowly and she looks confused at the blonde. "Why does he have pierced wrists and dislocated shoulders?"

Maura turns the corners of her mouth downward and shrugs.

The Italian's shoulders are slumping and she walks to a metal table on which the victim's clothes are laying. "Okay, what can you tell me about the clothes?"

"They are very common, and they are new just like his hair cut." Maura answers and smiles sadly.

"How new are they?"

"The clothes are only worn once and the hair were cut maybe yesterday."

"This doesn't make any sense," Jane whispers and leans with her hip against the table with a deep frown. She looks back at the poor guy who turned out to be her wife's next client and somehow she has the thought that this isn't a random murder.

Somehow, Maura can sense that Jane is having a thought and she doesn't say a word for a moment, but then she says, "I let the lab run some tests and call you if I have anything new."

The detective nods slowly and approvingly and walks to the ME, looking a little frustrated at the blonde.

Maura smiles a little and cups a cheek of her wife. Since they finally had told absolutely everyone about their relationship, they didn't hesitate to show some affection even at work.

Jane is holding her gaze and is smiling back. "See you by lunch at the latest."

The doctor chuckles and nods, and gives the Italian a peck. She laughs as she sees the pouty face of her wife and shakes her head as Jane is leaving the autopsy room.

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Jane is sitting at her desk and is studying the glass board with the crime scene photos. Frost is sitting in BRIC and waits for a match of John Doe's fingerprints in AFIS, and Korsak and Frankie are back at the crime scene and check it all over again. It wouldn't be the first time that they had missed something in the middle of the night.

She looks at each photo all over again and tilts her head to the side, something really is bothering her, something she already has seen. She turns her chair to her computer screen and cracks her fingers before she starts typing. She waits for a second and furrows her eyebrows as she let her eyes over the Google results.

She reads them and a thoughtful expression takes place. She knew that she already had heard or read about a psychopath who disjointed his victims limbs and used them as _marionettes_. She shudders and then she holds her breath because the perps already got arrested in Arizona. She really doesn't wanna start with a crazy copycat after her relaxing time on Fiji.

She types again and tries to find out if there were any similar cases in the U.S between the arrest of Ralph Kopp and their current victim. NCIC hasn't brought up anything, but sometimes Google does know more than their systems, and it also can be that Kopp was the copycat and he got inspired by some other idiot in the past.

Jane sighs heavily and leans back in her chair as even Google don't come up with something familiar. She purses her lips and runs an hand through her hair, but then a thought is crushing her mind and she types _Hanged, drawn and quartered_ into her keyboard. Somehow, the disjointed shoulders is fitting into that description, and she knows that crucifixion also was a kind of method of torture. And the wounds in John's wrists could match to that.

She frowns and is sure that this could have caused the disjointed shoulders, if he was nailed to whatever the killer used.

She isn't a very religious person, but she thinks that it really would be a haughty way to kill a person. And her mother wouldn't talk about anything else than that, if she is right. She groans and hopes that her assumption is more than wrong.

She looks over her shoulder and frowns as Maura comes in to the bullpen, a folder in her hand. "That was some quick test."

"Sometimes I can be fast," Maura replies and smirks, fully aware of the ambiguity.

The detective chuckles and raises her brows. "What do you have for me, Maura?"

The doctor takes a deep breath and hands her wife the file. "Our John Doe was drugged. He had Diazepam in his system."

Jane is looking up from the file and furrows her eyebrows. "Valium."

Maura nods and hums approvingly. "Mh-hm."

Jane is looking past the doctor in the distance. More and more her suspicion seems to be right. _You don't drug someone and then rack your victim_ , she thinks and grits her teeth. _You don't penetrate someone's wrists after you drugged the person. Valium can be used as a muscle relaxant_.

"You have a thought." Maura states and crosses her arms over her chest.

Jane blinks a couple of times and takes a deep breath, nodding at her screen with the methods of torture. "Tell me, is that a long shot?"

Maura scans the screen and a deep frown takes place on her forehead. "Well, he wasn't hanged, drawn and quartered, Jane." She pauses and nods. "The injuries of the shoulders could be a result of being racked, though. And the wounds of the wrists could be a result of a crucifixion."

Jane absentmindedly starts to run a thumb over the scar in the middle of her palm and a searing pain is running through her whole body, and she turns pale.

Maura knows the signs all to well and she squeezes Jane's shoulder hard. "Hey, look at me!" She demands and frowns when panic-stricken brown eyes are meeting hers. " **He is dead, Jane. He can't harm you anymore**."

Jane is looking long at her and releases her breath, nodding slowly. Her wife is right, he is death but that doesn't mean that she never feels a chill running down her spin if she has to thought of him. She closes her eyes and nods over and over. _Hoyt is dead, Hoyt is dead, Hoyt is dead_ , she repeats the mantra in her head.

"We got a match," Frost says loudly and Jane flinches slightly. He sees the movement and frowns. "I … uh. It can wait."

The Italian shakes her head and looks at him. "Who is he, Frost?"

He doesn't answer and looks at Maura, waiting for permission. He hands Jane the file. "His name is Daniel Powers, he was charged for dealing with illegal substances."

Jane looks long at the file and furls her brows. "Daniel Powers." She whispers. "It rings a bell."

"It should." He replies and sits down on his chair as the two women are questioningly looking at him. "You arrested him when you were in DCU."

The Italian nods slowly. "Yeah, I arrested him because he was dealing with Mary Jane."

"With whom," Maura asks with a confused expression.

Frost is smiling broadly as Jane looks up at her wife with a blank expression. "Marijuana, Dr. Isles."

Jane makes a face as Maura is slapping her shoulder and chuckles amused. "Ow! Why are you hitting me?" She asks and Frost chuckles amused.

"Can't you just say Marijuana, Jane?" The doctor asks back and smiles proudly as thru detective rubs scandalized her shoulder.

Jane exhales dramatically through her nose and looks back at the other detective. " **No**! However, I thought that Daniel stopped dealing or left Boston because he didn't become salient anymore."

"Not quite," he says and leans back in his chair. "After he got out from jail be didn't get his act together and became homeless. He had no family and no real friends."

"Damn it," Jane replies and runs an hand through her hair. "Though he was dealing with -" She looks up at the blonde and frowns. " **Marijuana** , he was a good persons. If I remember right, he did it to make a living. Not that I think that'd be the right way. Maybe he tried to get back into the drug scene."

"The only substance that was found in his system is Diazepam, tetrahydrocannabinol. The principal psychoactive constituent of -"

"Yes," the Italian interrupts the doctor and is nodding once. "I think all of us do know what THC is, thank you."

Maura rolls her eyes and isn't really mood to argue with Jane right now.

Jane is watching the ME's reaction and knows that she is probably going to regret that she cut her wife short. She groans loudly and looks pleading at her partner, groaning once more as she sees his amused smile. "All right, even though he didn't have had THC in his system we can't rule out the whole drug scene. Maybe his new boss wasn't very pleased with Daniel's job."

"And where should we strata, Jane?" Frost asks and furls is brows.

"With his old **fellas**. Maybe they heard something about Daniel before he got killed."

He nods and starts typing on his keyboard.

Jane turns her head to the blonde and tucks her chin in as she sees Maura's disapproving look. "Don't wait for me?"

Maura smiles softly and raises briefly her eyebrows. "I know, it's gonna be late." She states and rubs the detective's back before she leaves.

"You're a hell of lucky person, you know that, right?" Frost asks and looks over his screen.

Jane sighs heavily and nods approvingly. "Yeah, I know that I am the luckiest person in this damn universe."

He laughs and focuses back on his screen.

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Jane is exhausted and her nerves are short as she comes home at late evening. She is surprised that the house is still illuminated and she tries to sneaks into the house. It wouldn't be the first time that Maura had fallen asleep on the couch while she was reading a magazine or book, or even during one of her beloved documentaries. She is slipping out of her boots and freezes as she spots Maura sitting at the kitchen island.

She sighs heavily and drops her keys into the bowl on a sideboard. Suddenly, she thinks that her harsh words are the cause that Maura is still awake and tries to prepare herself for a fight. "Hey," she almost whispers. She isn't in the mood for a fight but she thinks that Maura has every right to be mad at her. One day and she has fallen back into old habits.

The doctor doesn't look at Jane and sips her white wine. "Hi." She says short and crisp.

The Italian groans again and walks over to the refrigerator to get herself a well-deserved beer. She looks into the unreadable face of Maura and furrows her eyebrows. "Look, I'm sorry for cutting you short today, but all of us know what THC is, Maura."

Maura still doesn't look up from her book and shrugs. "I am not mad at you."

"I just -" Jane starts to defend herself and pauses when Maura's words hit her ears and she furls her brows now. "You're not?"

Finally, Maura looks up and chuckles amused as she sees Jane's confused face. "Maybe a little because you came in and just said **Hey**."

Jane smiles and walks to her wife, and turns the seat to herself. She steps between the blonde's legs and smirks. "I'm sorry. Hi." She says and bends her head and kisses her wife gently. This time it is not just a chased kiss, this time it is long and sweet and gentle. Something they both were longing for the whole day.

Maura smiles and hums approvingly, tugging Jane's shirt out of her pants. She drags her nails over the Italian's bare back and is applauding herself as her wife shudders. She is always rewarded with this reaction and she mostly get what she wants when she is doing this.

She is tilting her head to the side as Jane's lips are leaving hers and are kissing her along her neck. She smiles and bites her lower lip when she feels strong hands on her thighs.

"I even didn't get the chance to put my gun and badge away," Jane whispers against soft skin and swallows hard. "And you were always the one who said that it would be unsanitary in the kitchen … God knows why."

Maura chuckles and places an hand on her wife's chest, pushing her gently away. "Because we are eating here, and so does your mother. Not to mention our guests."

"They doesn't need to know what we are doing on the floor …" Jane states and smiles wryly as a idea crushes her mind. "Or dining table, or kitchen island."

Maura gasps as a hand of Jane sneaks under her white sweatshirt and cups her bare breast. She can feel that her body is responding immediately to the touch and swallows a moan back as Jane's thumb grazes her already hard nipple. It still amazes her that the Italian's touches still have such an affect on her even they are together for over two years. This is something that she was missing in her last serious relationship. The appetite for each other, the need.

There is no doubt, she loved Ben, but only with Jane she feels complete. With Jane there is no pressure, she can understand when Maura doesn't want to or even can't have sex. With Ben there was always the feeling of _We have to have sex now or people will thing there is something wrong_. It was more like a commitment and she isn't sure anymore if she really enjoined having sex with him after they got married.

Her eyes are falling shut as Jane starts to massage her breast and a moan rumbles out of her throat. She licks her lips and forces her eyes open again, looking long into brown orbs. "The idea of having sex in the kitchen suddenly sounds very tempting, especially when I think about the spray cream that I could lick off of your naked body -"

Jane groans throaty and drops her head on the smaller woman's shoulder. "Maura -"

Maura smiles evil and sighs. "But your gun doesn't really feel pretty comfortable against my thigh."

Jane is grunting and lifts her head again. "My gun?"

The doctor rolls her eyes and is pointing at Jane's hip. "Yes, your gun, and you do have a dirty mind."

Jane smirks and steps back. "Who's gonna blame me?" She sighs and sobers again before she sip her beer. "Does it ever stop?"

"What," Maura asks and has a puzzled expression.

"That we're crazy for each other."

"Do you want it to stop?"

"Hell, no!" Jane says empathetically and shakes her head. "It's just … I have never experienced something like that before."

Maura smiles and gets up from the chair, and walks to the detective. She can understand why Jane think that the intensity of their love can't be normal, it scares her sometimes too, and that they become co-dependent of that they already were as they became a couple, but then her logical brain set in and analyzed the relationship and she came to the conclusion that it is not the case because they still live their own lives and that the' re not stuck together.

She wraps her arms around the taller woman's waist and takes a deep breath. "Being crazy for each other can be a good thing, Jane. And it is a good thing that we went each other so much unless it ends up that we are calling each other every thirty minutes to control each of us because we don't trust us anymore. Then I start to worry. And I can tell you, I never have experienced something like that, either."

The Italian holds her tight and kisses Maura's head. "Okay, I trust you, Maura."

Maura looks up and kisses Jane's chin. "And I love you, Jane."

Jane starts to smile like an idiot. "I love you too." No matter how many times she thinks about it, she still can't believe how she got so lucky. She takes Maura's hand in her own and leads the way to the stairs. "Come on, let's go to bed." She says and looks at the ME. She hopes that Maura can see that she has nothing else in mind than just cuddling.

Maura smiles back to her and nods. "Yes, let's go to bed."


	5. Chapter 4

The next morning, Maura is checking her appearance in the full length mirror. She had chosen a red dress and her hair is down. She frowns a little and let her hands roam over her belly. She isn't really sure what is bothering right now, but she thinks about to pick another dress. She tilts her head to the side and sighs heavily, and is about to turn around as tanned hands appear in the reflection and as they stop over her own hands. A soft smile is grazing her lips as her wife also appears and she takes the imagine in.

Jane is placing her chin on the smaller woman's shoulder and frowns as well without saying a word. It seems like both of them need to drink in the picture of them.

Maura is still smiling while she looks at them and let her hands wander over strong arms. It is not that she never had such a moment when one of her partners held her close and stares at them in the mirror, but it never felt right. With Jane, it feels perfect and they look perfect together, like they were made for each other. And most of all, she doesn't want to dwell on her past relationships right now.

"I love this dress on you," the Italian murmurs and kiss the exposed shoulder of the doctor. "Well, I love all your dresses on you, but I also love it when I can put you out of them."

A chill is running down Maura's spine but she chuckles amused, her eyes never leaving Jane's. She never had realized that their complexions were that different, almost as different as their outward appearance at all and she loves it. "Thank you, and I know that you love getting me naked. And I love it too."

Jane is smirking now and nods approvingly. She pulls the smaller woman even against her and inhales scent deeply. She was waiting for so long to do so and doesn't get tired of it, or saying, "You look beautiful."

"Thank you," the doctor replies and arches an eyebrow. "Is there a special occasion that you're wearing your hair in a ponytail."

Jane furrows her brows and shakes her head. "No." She knows that Maura can see right through her and buries her nose in the crook of the blonde's neck, smiling because she can see the roll of her wife's eyes.

Maura slaps Jane's arm gently and sighs again. "You just gave yourself a catlick, didn't you?"

"You kept the bathroom occupied." Jane argues and makes a face. She knows that she could have come up with something better.

Maura turns in the detective arms and glares scowls at her. "Seriously? There is a guest bathroom on this floor, Jane, and you know it. Maybe you shouldn't have stayed for too long in bed!"

"Maybe." Jane mumbles and smiles as the blonde kisses her gently on the lips. She hums approvingly and pulls Maura closer at her hips. "Or maybe I just should have joined you in the shower."

Maura smiles and wraps an arm around Jane's neck and a moan escapes as Jane deepens the kiss. The kiss isn't meant to trigger sex, it more shows the love for each other and they both want this display of affection before they are leaving for work, before they have to put on their professional masks again.

"Maybe I'm dropping by in your office later with no reason." Jane states as she breaks the kiss. "I can bring my … little friend."

Maura's eyes are briefly dropping on her wife's lips and smiles at Jane. "Just bring yourself that's enough for me." She whispers and her smile grows bigger as Jane growls low. She knows that the detective would never come down to the morgue for just having sex. Jane does have strict rules about that at their workplace and she sticks to them. Although Maura would like to make such new experience with her wife. "But I wouldn't mind if you bring it with you, either."

"A penny for your thoughts." Jane says and arches an eyebrow, even though she is almost sure about what the woman in her arms was thinking. If she is true to herself, the idea already had crushed her mind too, and not just once or twice. But now she is ignoring that and is going to find out what was bothering Maura as she came out of the bathroom. "What were you thinking about when I came in here?"

Maura takes a deep breath and shrug "Can we not talk about it now?"

Jane is looking long into hazel eyes and she can see that this an important topic for the doctor and nothing that should be discussed in passing, but she also can see the pain in those eyes she loves so much. She nods slowly and frowns a little. "Yeah, of course. We talk about it when you're ready, Maura."

Maura smiles softly and shoves her index finger gently into the detective's chest right over her chest. "You are doing your very best to keep your badass reputation, but on the inside you are soft and sweet and gentle and kindhearted, Jane Rizzoli. And that's why I love you."

Jane stares at the smaller woman and makes a face. "Ssh, you're destroying my badass reputation if someone hears -" Her eyebrows shoot up as she is silenced by her wife's soft lips and then she hums with a smile.

"Hush, Detective." Maura says as she breaks the kiss and smiles as she sees the Italian's pouty face. "Come on, Jane, I am sure that Angela already is wondering where we are."

Jane's shoulders slump and she follows the doctor out of their bedroom. At least, she can be sure that she hasn't said or done anything that would've upset Maura, or she isn't aware of it.

The two women enter the kitchen and are welcomed by the smell of pancakes.

Angela is looking over her shoulder and smiles broadly. "Good morning, girls. I just finished the pancakes. Sit down and have a cup of coffee."

"Hey, Ma." Jane says and kisses the cheek of her mother.

Maura smiles weakly and takes place at the kitchen island. "Good morning, Angela."

The matriarch looks at her for a second and then she takes a closer look at the blonde. "Maura, honey, are you okay? You look a little pale over there."

Jane is about to pour her wife a cup of coffee and looks with worried eyes at her, frowning deeply. Her mother is right, Maura does look pale this morning and she scolds herself for not noticing it when they were alone. "Maura?"

The doctor smiles a little and shakes her head as she takes her mug in her hand. "I'm fine, I just have a lot in my mind these days." She drops her eyes to her mug because she can see that Jane isn't buying the explanation at all and she don't want to discuss it with Jane in front of her mother. Maybe she isn't discussing it at all, she isn't sure yet.

If Jane wouldn't know any better, she would come to the conclusion that the ME Has cheated on her and got pregnant, but that's not possible because they barely had spent some time apart since they got married, and that's why she doesn't freak out instantly. But she can tell that something big is keeping the blonde's mind occupied and that she wanna talk about privately, and she is going to respect that … For now.

"What did Jane do this time " Angela asks and looks at her only daughter reproachfully. She knows that Jane is well able to get the best of someone.

The younger Italian freezes as she is about to sit down next to the blonde and furrows eyebrows. "Hey, why am I to blame when someone is not in the best mood?"

Angela looks long at her daughter and her gaze says it all.

Maura snickers and place an hand in the detective's neck. "Jane haven't done anything wrong, Angela. She is wonderful."

Jane purses her lips and sits down on the chair. "Thank you." She keeps beer eyes on her mother and arches an triumphantly eyebrow.

"Don't make me regret it, Jane." Maura says with a real smile and kisses her wife's cheek.

The detective sighs dramatically and rolls her eyes. She grabs the maple syrup dispenser and glares at her mother who became dangerously quiet. "What is it, Ma?"

Angela sips her own coffee and just shakes her head. She is going to find out what is going on between her two favorite girls, sooner rather than later. She smiles broadly and turns her back to them.

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Jane is sitting behind the steering wheel and the frown on her forehead hasn't disappeared since Maura and she had left the their house. Since then her wife has become unusual quiet and is staring out of her window. She sighs loudly and places her right hand on Maura's thigh in the hope to get her attention.

It does work! Maura turns her head to the left side and smiles a little, linking their hands.

The Italian looks briefly at her and the frown deepens. "Do you wanna tell me what is upsetting you today?"

"Jane, I already told you that I don't wanna talk about it now." Maura replies and she looks out of the window again.

"Are you going to talk about it at all?"

"I haven't decided yet."

Jane is surprised about the statement and she looks once more at the doctor. This is something that is very unusual for her, because Maura is always the one in the relationship who normally broaches every single problem that is bothering her. And Maura's taciturnity starts to worry the Italian right now, but she also knows that senseless if she is pushing the blonde for more right now. "Maura -"

"Jane, please," Maura demands and pulls her hand away.

Jane looks at the ME and she feels like she has been slapped across her face. Obviously she has something to do with Maura's strange mood and she wanna know what she has done wrong. "Fine!" She grumbled and focus back on the traffic .

Maura immediately is feeling bad and she put an hand in the detective's neck, but the taller woman tenses up instantly and she pulls the hand away again. She can understand Jane's current aggravation and she sighs heavily. She doesn't have this odd mood because Jane has done something wrong or said something inappropriate, on the contrary. Her wife has been kind and sweet the whole time since they had awoken and she can imagine that Jane had gone through every worse case scenario she could think of. "It has nothing to do with you, Jane."

"Okay," the detective simply says, but she doesn't look at the blonde.

"Jane -"

"Maura, I got it." Jane cuts her short and glances at her wife. "Everything is fine."

But Maura can see it in brown eyes. It is everything but fine. She can feel a single tear trickle down her cheek and she discretely wipes it away, or she hopes that she did it discretely. Well, Jane doesn't say anything or is looking at her so it probably had worked.

Jane has noticed the single tear on the blonde's cheek, but she is beyond angry to react on that right now, even if it makes her feel like the biggest asshole in the world. If she would reach out to wipe the tear away Maura would push her away and she would lose her patience. And she doesn't want that this morning totally sucks.

She brings the car to halt in the parking garage of the BPD , kills the engine and unbuckle her seatbelt without saying a word. She sniffles, wipes her nose with the back of her hand and gets out of the car.

Maura, on the other hand, needs a little longer before she gets out of the car. She can tell that the detective is mad at her and she has every right to be. She wraps her fingers lightly around the detective's wrist as she is about to pass her and she looks into brown, confused eyes. She steps closer and wraps unexpectedly her arms around the taller woman's middle. "Just be careful, Jane. Please." She whispers against Jane's chest.

Jane is standing there thunderstruck for a moment before she holds the doctor close. Slowly but surely Maura's strange behavior does make sense. Perhaps she had some kind of weird dream, but she doesn't want to talk about it. "I am most likely in the office the whole day, Maura." She whispers gently back.

Maura doesn't look up at her and swallows hard. "Still." She knows about what the Italian is capable to do when she is mad and as a result becomes careless.

Jane's anger is fading a little and she kisses the top of the blond head. "I promise to not be reckless if I have to go in the field. I also promise you that I am going to wear my west if I have to do so, Maura."

Maura knows that this probably won't happen at all unless Korsak or Cavanaugh is ordering it, but she couldn't care less right now. She looks up and smiles weakly. "Thank you."

Jane bends her head and holds the blonde's expectant gaze. "Anything for you, Maura." She whispers before she presses an light kiss on soft lips. "I love you."

"I love you too," the detective says and turns her attention to the person who is clearing his throat.

Frankie is standing there and points with his thumb over his shoulder. "I can wait somewhere else if you want."

Jane rolls her eyes and places an hand in small of Maura's back. "Shut up! It's not like it's the first time you see us kissing."

Maura really chuckles for the first time in the morning.

Frankie makes a face and shrugs. "It doesn't mean that I have get used to it. You're still my big sister."

Jane smirks and punches his shoulder playfully. "Still jealous that I got the girl that you had the hots for once, huh?"

Frankie stops to walk abruptly and his jaw drops to the floor.

Maura gasps in horror and looks with big eyes at her wife. "How do you -"

"There is a reason why I am a detective, Maura." Jane states with a smile and looks at her brother. "And it doesn't surprise me that all three of us were still interested in you, well I still am. Anyway, I then act like a total jerk and Frankie acts like a little school boy, and Tommy acts like … Tommy."

Maura smirks and looks with promising eyes at the Italian. "Well, good for you that I am interested in only one Rizzoli."

Frankie makes a sound like he is about to throw up and his sister is glaring at him.

The doctor smiles broadly and shakes her head.

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The siblings come into the bullpen and Jane looks at Korsak as she pulls off her gray jacket. "Hey, did you find something new out already?"

The older man sips his coffee and shakes his head. He and Frankie came back into the precinct yesterday with absolutely nothing that could help them, that's why they all had stayed longer. "I called the fabricant of the clothes Daniel was wearing when he was found, but it was a dead end too. They are a staple article."

She exhales loudly through her nose and flops down in her chair, looking at the photos. She tilts her head to the side and furls her brows. "Does it all strikes you as odd too. Maura said that he died because of multiple organ failure, but he got a fresh haircut and new clothes before he passed away. Plus the wounds in his wrists, the disjointed shoulders and the Valium in his system. Daniel couldn't have done this to himself. Even not on his biggest trip, guys."

"It sounds like torturing to me," Frost states as he walks with a steaming mug in his hand to his desk.

Jane glance at him and nods once. "Right? The next question is why someone would torture a defenseless former druggie to death.

"Maybe he saw something he better shouldn't have seeing," Korsak says and shrugs. "That happens all the time."

She looks long at him and starts to shake her head slowly. She already had ruled that possibility out. "I don't think so."

"Maybe he was a guinea pig," Frankie says and bites into his bagel. "Purposely or not."

Jane glance at him and a chill runs down her spine. She is aware of the fact that people do a lot of things if they desperately need money. Some become a dancer in strip clubs, others sell their own bodies to get money and others do really bad things like drug dealing or murder. And then there are these persons who work in fast food restaurants to earn honest money or work their assed off in three different jobs to see their loved ones through. She had learned one important thing from Maura: Never judge a person before you know the whole story!

Maybe … maybe … She turns her attention to Frost. "Frost, can you check if there were placed ads in newspapers and magazines for medical test persons? Keep an eye on those which seems unethical."

Frost raises his eyebrows and starts typing on his keyboard. "On it."

Jane looks proudly at her brother and smiles. "Very good idea, Detective Rizzoli."

Frankie blinks perplex a couple of times and points at himself. It almost never happens that Jane extol him in front of their colleagues. "I … well … um … Thank you."

Korsak snickers and shakes his head and Jane rolls her eyes.

Frost blows out his cheeks and leans back in his chair. "This can take a while, Jane."

"Unless it doesn't take until we get a new body," she grumbles and notices the confused looks of the three men. She looks back at Frost and frowns. "I'm sorry, just … do your best, okay."

"Sure thing," he replies with a nod and looks every now and then back at her.

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The Italian comes down in the forensic department and risks a look through the window to the autopsy room only to find it empty. She looks in the opposite direction and sees that Susie is only nodding in the direction of the closed door to Maura's office. She came down here with some prints of ads so Maura could look at them. Just because she is married to a doctor it doesn't mean that she can understand their geek-speak by now.

She frowns again and knocks lightly on the door before she enters the office. "Hey, Maura. I brought you some -" She trails off as she spots the ME standing at a window with her arms wrapped tightly around her body. She closes the door and drops the file on Maura's desk. "Hey, what's wrong today, Maura." She asks with a soft voice. "And don't tell me that you don't wanna talk about it now. And don't say you're fine, you are anything but fine."

Maura closes her eyes for a second and swallows hard. "I've been thinking."

"Okay, and what have you been thinking about?"

"About us."

Jane stops dead in her tract and her heart drops. _What the hell_ , she thinks to herself and she can feel the panic and confusion welling up deep inside of her. She isn't really sure what is going on right now. She takes a step closer and furrows her brows. "Look, I know that I can be an ass sometimes and I am really sorry for that, but we can work it out … Whatever you think is wrong, we can fix it, Maura. Don't give up on us so easily."

The ME realizes how her words must have sound to the detective and she turns around. "I am not thinking in that way about us, Jane. I am not gonna leave you."

Jane swallows the lump that has formed in her throat down and she nods once. "Okay."

"I was thinking about us as a couple, Jane. I know that we are working out and that we want our time together right now. But I am wondering if this is enough for you."

Jane furls her eyebrows and then she squints up at the ceiling. "Huh?"

"Are you and I enough for you, Jane?" Maura asks and braces herself on her desk.

Jane is now narrowing her eyes. "Are you suggesting an open marriage, because I don't think that I can -"

"Children, Jane." Maura interrupts the detective before her fantasy is running wild. "I am talking about children."

The words are sinking in slowly and Jane raises her eyebrows. "Ooh," she says and then clarity washes over her face. " **Ooh**!"

Maura is nodding approvingly and she swallows hard. "Yes."

Jane has a blank expression and she has to search for words before she says something wrong. She decides to go with honesty and nods slowly. "Yeah. Yeah, every now and then I am thinking about having children. I mean, don't get me wrong, it is not my top priority right now, but I can imagine you and me and a bunch of kids in the future. And I like that idea very much, Maura. I really, really like it." She pauses and shrugs. "I never had such thoughts before and I didn't see myself as a mother in my previous relationships, but with you it's different, I chose to spend the rest of my life with you, because you **are my** life. And I know that we're gonna be great parents one day."

Maura smiles relieved and a tear is rolling down her cheek.

Jane takes the doctor's hand in her own and pulls her against her. "Is that what was bugging you this morning?"

Maura sighs and nods approvingly, looking up. "It's bugging me for quite some time, Jane."

"And why haven't you talked to me about that," Jane asks and rubs the blonde's back soothingly.

"Because –-" Maura starts and sighs.

Jane waits patiently but her wife doesn't continue. "Yes?"

The blonde looks up and Jane's heart breaks as she sees the pain in her eyes. "Because I already lost a baby and I know how you think about police work and pregnancies."

Jane's face is softening and she smiles a little. "Maura."

"I know, it is ridiculous," the doctor says and pulls away burying her face embarrassed in her hands. "It's stupid."

"Come on," Jane says and runs her hands over Maura's shoulder. "You know it's neither ridiculous nor stupid. And I don't know what you went through when you lost your baby, and I wish that you would have told me so I could support you. But maybe it shouldn't be back then." She is scolds herself as she sees the painful expression of her wife. "I mean, you said it yourself, your body wasn't ready for a pregnancy. And even though it would have been and you'd gave birth to Ben's and your child I wouldn't love you any less. And so I wouldn't have the child because it would have been a part of you, Maura. And I love everything about you, no matter what. It's not like I don't have a history, either. But even if you already have a child with Ben it wouldn't mean that I wouldn't like to have our own children." She takes a deep' breath and shrugs. "And if it soothes you, we can make some appointments, let ourselves get checked and make a decision then. Perhaps try it once or twice and then we still have the option of adoption." Jane kisses Maura gently and caresses her cheeks with her thumbs. "And as we both know adopted children can be as wonderful as own children. We can take every time that we need before we decide what we'll do. We'll find a solution and we don't have to hurry."

Maura nods approvingly and kisses her wife gently. No matter how many hours she spends with Jane, the Italian is amazing and surprising her all over again. "Okay."

"But we also can try to make a baby on the natural way," Jane adds with a mischievously grin.

Maura laughs heartily and swats Jane's arm. "You're impossible."

"I was more thinking about being a medical wonder." Jane chuckles.

Maura hums and trace the detective's collarbone with her hand. "You're definitely the best lover I ever had."

Jane's eyebrows shoot up high. "Oh?"

"But no medical wonder." The blonde adds.

The Italian's shoulders slump and she makes a pouty face. "Oh!"

Maura takes a deep breath and finally smiles for real. "What is the reason for coming down here?"

Jane needs a moment because pictures of her hands being all over the doctor while she makes love to her are flashing through her mind. She blinks a couple of times and clears her throat, handing the ME the prints. "Right, the reason why I cam down here. Um, Frankie had the thought that Daniel Powers perhaps was a kind of guinea pig. Frost printed some ads which looks suspicious for our eyes. Maybe you can tell me if something is catching your eye … as a doctor."

Maura sits down on her chair and opens the folder, licking her lips. She thumbs through the printing, nodding and shaking her head.

Jane is chewing on the inside of her cheek and frowns. "What?"

"I heard about some of these studies and I can tell that they are controversial and even highly unethical. At least for my standard." She passes a print to Jane. "This, for example, is a mild for of the Milgram Experiment."

The Italian takes place in front of the ME's desk and frowns even more. "I'm sure I'm gonna regret this, but what is the Milgram Experiment, Dr. Isles?"

Maura glares at the detective but smiles because she knows Jane is going to listen. "The Milgram experiment on obedience to authority figures was a series of social psychology experiments conducted by Yale University psychologist Stanley Milgram. However, three individuals were involve: the one running the experiment, the subject of the experiment, and a confederate pretending to be a volunteer. These three people fill three distinct roles: the Experimenter, the authoritative role. The Teacher, a role intended to obey the orders of the Experimenter. And the Learner, the recipient of stimulus from the Teacher. The subject and the actor both drew slips of paper to determine their roles, but unknown to the subject, both slips said **teacher**. The actor would always claim to have drawn the slip that read **learner** , thus guaranteeing that the subject would always be the **teacher**." She pauses to make sure that Jane didn't doze off and continues, "At this point, the **teacher** and **learner** were separated into different rooms where they could communicate but not see each other. In one version of the experiment, the confederate was sure to mention to the participant that he had s heart condition. At some point prior to the actual test, the **teacher** was given a sample electric shock from the electroshock generator in order to experience firsthand what the shock that the **learner** would supposedly receive during the experiment would feel like."

Jane is nodding slowly as Maura pauses. "Go on."

Maura nods as well. "The **teacher** was given a list of word pairs that he was to teach the learner. The teacher began by the list of word pairs to the learner. The teacher would then read the first word of each pair and read four possible answers. The learner would press a button to indicate his response. If the answer was incorrect, the teacher would administer a shock to learner, with the voltage increasing I 15-volt increments for each wrong answer. If correct, the teacher would read the next word pair. The subjects believed that for each wrong answer, the learner was receiving actual shocks. In reality, there were no shocks. After the confederate was separated from the subject, the confederate set up a tape recorder integrated with the electroshock generator, which played prerecorded sounds for each shock level. After a number of voltage-level increases, the actor started to bang on the wall that separated him from the subject. After several times banging on the wall and complaining about his heart condition, all responses by the learner would cease."

Jane blinks a couple of times and props her elbows on her thighs, leaning forward. "I don't get the use of such an experiment, Maura."

The blonde smiles and leans back in her chair, crossing her legs. "At this point, many people indicated their desire to stop the experiment and check on the learner. Some test subjects paused at 135 volts and began to question the purpose of the experiment. But most continued after being assured that they wouldn't be held responsible."

"Now, I see where this is heading," the detective growls.

Maura nods again. "A few test persons laughed nervously or exhibit other signs of extreme stress once they heard the screams of pain coming from the learner. If at any time the test person indicated his desire to halt the experiment, he was given a succession of verbal prods by the Experimenter, in this order.

Please **continue**.

The experiment requires that you **continue**.

It is absolutely essential that you **continue**.

You have no other choice, you **must** go on.

If the test person still wished to stop after all four successive verbal prods, the experiment was halted. Otherwise, it was halted after the subject had given the maximum 450-volt shock three other times in succession. The experimenter also gave special prods if the teacher made specific comments. If the teacher asked whether the learner might suffer permanent physical harm, the experimenter replied, _Although the shocks may be painful, there is no permanent tissue damage, so please go on_.

If the teacher said that the learner clearly wants to stop, the experimenter replied, _Whether the likes it or not, you must go on until he has learned all the words pairs correctly, so please go on_. If the teacher asks who is responsible document for any negative effects, the experimenter said, _I will take responsibility_."

"I am barely daring to ask how many persons gave the 450-volt shock." Jane states and runs an hand through her hair.

"I'm afraid 65 percent in Milgram's first set of experiments administered the experiment's final 450-volt shock, though many persons were very uncomfortable doing so." Maura says and sighs with her lips pressed together.

Jane gets up from the chair and furrows her brows, pacing up and down like a tiger. "Yeah, that does make it sound any better." She drops her voice two octaves and shrugs. " **Sorry, I didn't meant to kill the guy next door, but the evil experimenter told me that I had to and he assured me that I am not responsible**." She stomp her feet on the ground like she is five. "That's some bullshit, Maura. I am the master of my mind, and I decide what is right or wrong. That doesn't sound like a scientifical experiment, Maura. It more sounds like a sadistic psychopath lived his greatest dream through other people."

Maura looks long at her wife and she gets up to her feet. She grabs her wife at her waist and wraps her arms around her middle, falling for the Italian all over again. "That's why I think that such **experiments** are unethical, Jane. And that's why I love you, Jane."

Jane relaxes against Maura's body and sighs loudly. "So, Frankie had a great hunch, huh?"

Maura smiles and nods approvingly. "Yes, you probably should be looking in that scene."

Jane closes her eyes and clenches her teeth. "And I love you too. So much." She kisses the ME's forehead and her lips lingers there for a moment. "I probably should go up again before the guys get an false impression."

Maura chuckles and nods. "See you after work."

"At the latest," Jane states and starts to leave with a smirk.

Maura scoffs and sits down at her chair again. She is feeling better after she told Jane her thoughts about their private life and she closes briefly her eyes.

If she remember back, she never had such a insightful partner than she has in Jane. Not even her ex-husband were able to understand her completely. She hasn't felt connected with him like with Jane.

She bites her bottom lip as desire course through her body and she takes her phone in her hand. She writes a message that she knows makes her wife blush … or running down the stairs back to her department. She wouldn't mind that, either, but she is not expecting this.

Quite contrary to her beloved wife, she is a patient person.

She smiles devilish and closes her eyes briefly to gain control over her body again.


	6. Chapter 5

**Hey, people. Thank you for reading this story and for following and reviewing.**

 **I hope you will like this update as well as the previous chapters.**

 **And I hope that you'll have a wonderful Valentine's Day.**

 **T73.**

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Jane smiles broadly as her lips explore every single inch of her wife's skin and as the normally so patient Dr. Isles starts to squirm underneath her. She takes her time and kisses her way up from the blonde's pubic bone to the stomach. She knows that she is cruel and that Maura was hoping that she goes down on her tonight, but Jane decided to take her time with the doctor, as a kind of revenge for the morning. And to show how much she loves the blonde. She isn't sure what weights more right now, revenge or love, and she doesn't care, either.

Maura's lips are parted while her wife explores her body all over again and her deep moans are filling the room every time Jane's mouth lingers on her and sets her body on fire all over again, "Oh, " she breathes. "Jane." She arches her back as her wife's mouth finds its way to the valley of her breast and she starts to shudder as she looks into intense brown orbs. "Jane." She breathes again like she still can't believe that the Italian is real.

Her eyes rolls back in her head as Jane enclose her hard nipple with her lips and suck on it gently. The pace perhaps is killing her every time, but she also like it that it isn't over within five minutes.

She was surprised, though. They had bought that to release sexual frustration, both of them. But as soon as Jane wore the strap-on she felt ridiculous to do the same. She apologized a thousand times to Jane, but the Italian had waved it off and told her that she doesn't need a pens inside her, but that she would like to have her hands all over Maura while she makes love to her.

Maura felt bad in the first place because she thought that Jane was thinking that she could satisfy her only with the strap-on and she told the Italian that she loves her fingers inside her just as much. That when they found the perfect mixture and when Maura gave Jane gave the credit that she actually is the man in their relationship and Jane liked it in their bed.

Right now, Jane has pinned Maura's right hand with her left over the blonde's head and she links them, just like she does with their other hands as she slides the dildo deep into her wife. She swallows hard and buries her face in the blonde's neck. She is always amazed by the feeling. "Jesus." She murmur and give Maura time to adjust, burying her face in her wife's neck.

Maura closes her eyes and let her hands roam over the Italian's back. She loves the feeling to be filled by Jane and she makes no secret of it. She whimpers as Jane starts to move her hips gently and inhales shakily through her mouth. She can feel her orgasm building up in her lower stomach already and swallows hard as the detective is setting for a slow pace. "Jane -" She whispers and whimpers again.

Jane has to keep her temper in check and lifts her head up to look at the face of the woman beneath her. She doesn't need to express that she would love to look into Maura's eyes because hazel eyes open once again and she wouldn't mind it if she drop dead right now as she sees the love in them. She bends her head and kisses her gently and passionately in the same time.

Maura moans into the Italian's moth as the first wave of pleasure courses through her body and starts to meet Jane's thrusts already. She can't help it but she was longing for Jane's touches since they had the talk in her office and Jane assured her that everything will be okay.

Jane groans and places an hand on the smaller woman's hip, sliding into Maura slow and deep. She breaks the kiss and leans her forehead against the doctor's and she looks deep into eyes she loves so much hoping that her own mirrors everything she is feeling for the blonde.

Maura doesn't hear what Jane is thinking or feeling right now, she can see it in dark brown eyes, she can see it all. Another deep moan escapes from her throat and she arches her back a little. She never had experienced such a connection with her prior partners, maybe in the beginning of the relationship but never over such a amount of time, and never so intensive.

Her hands found their was on the small of Jane's back and she wraps her legs around the Italian's thighs. Her eyes roll in the back of her neck as Jane's lips trail over her jawline to her neck.

Jane starts to suck on the doctor's pulse point and groans when her wife drags her nails over her back, picking up the pace a little. She shudders as her own orgasm start to built up and then a animalistic growl rumbles from her chest. She feels Maura tense up underneath her and she knows that the ME is already flying over the edge, but she isn't done yet and she doesn't stop her hips from moving. She is going to apologize for that later, maybe.

Maura gasps when Jane picks up the pace again and she wants to press her legs together as her fist orgasm washes over her, but the Italian doesn't stop at all. "Oh, God." She whispers and her back arches once again. She doesn't mind it that Jane doesn't stop her movements and digs her nails deep into the detective's back. "Jane."

Jane moans deep into Maura's neck as she flies over the edge and her entire body went rigid. She forces her hips to stay still when Maura moans her name and she lifts her head to look back at the blonde. She kisses soft lips gently and wipes away a tear that has escaped from her eye with her thumb. "Did I hurt you," she asks worriedly.

Maura opens her eyes again and she shakes her head with a smile, roaming her hands over a strong back. "No, not at all, Jane."

Jane smiles proudly and wants to pull out, but the doctor doesn't untangle their legs and she looks questioningly at Maura.

"Stay for a moment," Maura states and smiles as the Italian arches an brow, and then she sighs when Jane nestles her face in the crook of her neck. She can't put it in words what she is feeling right now even if she would try it. She tucks curly hair to the side so she can kiss Jane's bare shoulder and sighs content.

"I love you so much," Jane mumbles against her wife's neck and let her hand wander down Maura's side. "I can't put it in words how much I love you, Maura."

Maura smiles again and closes her eyes. "I love you too, Jane." Another moan slips from her lips as her wife starts to slip out of her and she chuckles when Jane arches an brow once more.

Jane wriggles out of the harness a d tosses it to the side. She rolls on her back and pulls the smaller woman to her. She takes a deep breath and caresses Maura's arm. "I always thought that the need to be with your partner would slacken, but I must can't get enough of you."

Maura hums approvingly and trace the Italian's collarbone with her fingertips. Jane just has formulated how she is feeling about Jane and she looks up, kissing Jane's chin. "Neither do I. My relationship with you -" She pauses and shakes her head. "I never have experienced a relationship with such intensity like I do with you, Jane. And somehow it is still confusing me."

Jane blinks a couple of times and frowns. "Why?"

"Didn't you listen to me right now?"

"Okay, I see what you mean. Maybe … Maybe … Maybe -" Jane says and her eyebrows shoot up as Maura silences her with her lips as she doesn't come up with anything. She chuckles and sighs content.

She pulls away and smiles with a slight frown. "Maybe we just need to sleep over it and see how we feel in the morning."

Maura nods approvingly and switch off the bedside lamp, knowing that none of their feelings for each other would have changed in the morning. She snuggles up to Jane and wraps an arm around the detective's middle. "Good night, Jane."

Jane hold Maura close to her and sighs once more. "Night, Maura." She murmurs and in the next moment sleep has welcomed her already.

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The Italian groans and frowns as she slowly but surely comes back to the real world as the sound of a ringing phone makes its way to her brain and she turns on her back. She stretches her arms over her head and cracks an eye open. She is welcomed by a room that is sun-drenched and her frowns deepens immediately. She turns her head to her right and sees Maura sitting naked at the edge of their bed, holding her phone to her hear.

Jane sighs heavily and runs an hand over her wife's spine and smiles a little as Maura looks over her shoulder, still listening attentively to the caller. Jane props herself up on her elbows when she looks into a serious face. She doesn't say anything because she has the feeling that the call is important, her curiosity can wait for a minute or two.

Maura nods slowly and runs an hand through her hair. "Let a detective of BRIC check the surveillance footage of the forensic department, Susie. I'll be there in thirty minutes." She hangs up and gets up to her feet.

Jane waits for a moment so the doctor can explain what is going on. "What's wrong?"

Maura walks into the walk-in closet and takes a deep breath. "It seems like someone abstracted evidence from the evidence locker last night and left a mess in my department."

Jane is silent for a moment because she thinks that she has misheard Maura right now and then she furls her eyebrows. "Are you serious?"

"Yes, I am." Maura replies and comes out with a black blouse and gray fabric pants in one hand and a pair of black heels in the other hand.

Jane looks bewildered at the doctor and tries to make sense out of the news. "Evidence of my case?"

"No, but we're gonna take stock of all the other evidence to see what exactly is missing." Maura says and heads towards the bathroom. She definitely can imagine a different way to start the day than with a burglary in the forensic department. "It probably will be a long day, Jane."

The Italian sighs and gets her phone from her nightstand. "I can call Frost and ask him to take a look at the video footage."

Maura turns on the water in the shower stall and pauses for a moment. "No, Jane. He is occupied with your case. There are other component detectives working in BRIC, but thank you, honey." She says a little louder and steps into the stall.

She moans as the hot water hits her skin and she lays her head back in her neck. Burglary aside, personal hygiene has to be.

Jane hesitates for a moment and then she starts to type a text message to Frost. She knows that Maura had said that he doesn't have to take care of that as well as for their own case. But she can ask him for someone he thinks is, after him, the best.

She clenches her teeth and wonders what kind of deadhead dared to break in the damn Forensics. She shakes her head and gets out of the bed as well and walks into the bathroom too. She knows that her wife has serious time pressure, but that doesn't mean that she can't have a shower before she heads to the station. She smirks and enters the shower stall too.

Maura swirls around and glares at the Italian. "Jane, what are you doing?"

The detective smirks and reaches for her body wash. "I am taking a shower. Why?"

The blonde rolls her eyes and turns her back to her wife, warning Jane with her eyes as she steps even closer. "Jane, I have no time for that now."

"I don't do anything." Jane states and chuckles as the doctor tilts her head to the side as she let her hands wander down her arms.

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Maura had arrived an hour before Jane and the Italian can understand that all too well. She also wanna know who the hell had the boldness and broke into a forensic department which is in a police station. For that you need to have the balls.

Jane enters the station and is welcomed by Korsak and Frost, she rolls her eyes and sips her hot coffee that.

"I thought you were messing with me when I got your message, Jane." Frost states and frowns deeply.

"Someone seriously had the balls to break in in Forensics," Korsak asks and furls his eyebrows.

"Apparently." Jane says and takes a deep breath. She isn't really sure what she should think about this situation now, or if it has to do with their case, but she is hoping that this is just a stupid coincidence and a stupid crackhead had the idea that he could make with something some money.

"Do you think it has to do with our case?" Frost asks and crosses his arms over his chest.

"God, I hope not." She answers and wonders that she can't see her brother. "Where's Frankie?"

The older man runs an hand over his chin and takes a deep breath. "He is downstairs and helps Maura and Susie with the inventory. He volunteer for it."

The Italian nods slowly and opens her mouth to say something to the guys as the officer at the front desk calls her name. She groans and turns her head in his direction, then her heart drops as she spots a woman with auburn hair standing at the front desk. A redhead she knows all to well, a redhead she had hoped never to see again.

Frost looks questioningly at Korsak and the older man just shrugs because even he doesn't know what is going on right now.

Jane is standing there like a salt pillar and she swallows hard as the other woman turns around and beams at her. She has bright green eyes and her skin is sun-kissed. _This can't be true_ , She thinks to herself and her facial muscles twitch. _This has to be a very bad dream and I would like to wake up now_!

"Jane Rizzoli," the woman says with a warm voice and she starts to walk towards the detective. "It is good to see you after so long."

Jane's face is neutral and she sighs heavily. She doesn't want to make a scene in front of all her coworkers. "I wish I could say the same, Alexis, but I guess just a front-page story brought you back to Boston."

"Straightforward like always." Alexis replies with a smiles and shrugs. "I always liked that."

"What do you want?"

"I head that a junkie you've arrested got killed two days ago. Do you think that he got killed because of you and the arrest?"

Jane's face is darkening and her whole body language changes all of a sudden. She turns on her heels and she has to use all her willpower not to yell at the other woman. "You wanna know about the case? I am sure Officer Matthews gives you willingly the number of our public relations."

"Jane, I just wanna have your statement," Alexis says in a friendly tone.

Jane turns back to her and raises and clenched fist, gritting her teeth. "I would love to say so much to you right now." She growls dangerously and takes a step forward. "But I am at **my** work and no one needs to know what was going on between you and me. **You know that I can't talk with the damn press about an open case**. And I will give you a good and a well-intentioned advice, Al. Turn around and leave this building and this city because you are not welcome anymore."

Alexis is holding the Italian's gaze and doesn't flinch the slightest bit. "You can't tell me where I can and where I can't be … Detective Rizzoli. And I would give **you** the advice not to threat me."

Jane huffs and turns around again and then she freezes again when she looks into confused hazel eyes . She shakes her head and she closes her eyes briefly. "You already once thought that I can be your steppingstone, Alexis, and you got nothing. This time it won't be any different."

Alexis is pondering the detective's words and she purses her lips. "We'll see, Jane." She says and turns to leave the station again.

Jane inhales deeply through her nose and rolls her head in her neck. She must wanna wake up so this nightmare can be over and she wakes up in her bed.

"Who was that?" Frost asks and looks after the other woman.

"A mistake from my past," she answers and walks in the direction of her wife. "Hey."

"Was that -" Maura asks but trails off.

The Italian nods approvingly and smiles grimly. "Yes, that was her. That was my ex-fiancée."

"You okay," the ME asks and places worriedly an hand on Jane's arm.

"I will." Jane says and rubs her forehead, a headache already starts in the back of her head. She groans and rolls her eyes. "I will when the day is over. Anyway, how is the inventory going?"

"Slow," the doctor says and frowns. "We already checked the evidence of your case, but nothing is missing. It looks like it was just a jest of some teenagers."

"Why? What is missing?"

"Nothing so far. Just a pair of sneakers."

"Huh?" The detective asks and has a confused expression.

Maura smiles annoyed and rubs her tense neck. "Yap."

"This day is strange," Jane states and chuckles with her wife. "Come on, let's go back to bed."

"Sounds tempting, but I have to explain to a lot of people why code red is going on in my office." Maura states and sighs heavily.

The taller woman nods and furrows her eyebrows. "Yeah, I probably should go upstairs and try to catch a killer. See ya at lunch?"

"I would like that very much." The ME replies and smiles as Jane kisses her cheek.

"Oh," Jane suddenly says with an raised index finger. "and call me if Ben shows up unexpected."

Maura looks almost comically at her. "Why should he show up?"

The detective shrugs and push the button of the elevator. "Today, everything is possible."

The blonde scoffs and enters the other elevator.

Jane smiles broadly and looks at the two men who follow her in the elevator.

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Maura is a little surprised that Jane didn't suggested the Dirty Robber to have lunch, instead they are sitting in a small Italian restaurant and she enjoys her _Tagliatelle alla cova_ and Jane stares at her _Ravioli di ricotta alla Calabrese_.

The blonde wipes her mouth on a napkin and frowns a little. "What's wrong, Jane?"

Jane's eyes snap up and she frowns as well. "Huh? Nothing's wrong, I just thought that my mother will be personal offended if she gets to know about that."

Maura smiles broadly and sips her water. "Yes, she will, and I have to admit that I was a little surprised that you didn't want to go to the Dirty Robber." She pauses and takes a deep breath. "It's nice, though."

Jane shoves a fork full of pasta into her mouth and nods approvingly. She swallows the food and shrugs. "I needed a little change now. Though I love the Dirty Robber, I can't eat every day a burger."

"Since when," Maura laughs amused and she scrutinizes her wife.

"Hey, I am flexible." Jane retorts and straightens up in her chair.

"No, your not." Maura still laughs and takes a bite form her food. But then she turns serious and licks her lips. "Do you wanna talk about the encounter with your ex-fiancée?"

Jane doesn't look at the doctor and purses her lips. "She probably heard my name and that we investigate the murder of a guy whom I have arrested ages ago. You know, the great first-page story."

"Are you glad that she is back?"

"I don't know what I am, Maura. It's been years when she left me and I moved on, obviously." The detective says and finally finds the eyes of her wife. She shrugs and turns the corners of her mouth downward. "I don't care if Alexis is in Boston unless she starts to interfere in the case. I am not the same woman that I was when I was with her, I am not naïve anymore. And I belong to you now."

Maura can see the little smile and smiles back. She never had the thought that Jane could again be drawn to her ex because she knows that the Italian is a woman who gives only one woman her heart and her love, that it would never be an option for Jane to be unfaithful, this wouldn't be her nature.

Jane groans as her phone starts to ring and she takes it in her hand. "Rizzoli," she says and listens attentively to the caller. She closes her eyes and toss the napkin on the table. "All right, we'll be there in a few."

Maura sighs loudly and wipes her mouth once again before she starts to gather her belongings. She can tell that they have to go back to work and that as soon as possible.

Jane gets up from her chair and hangs up. "That was Korsak, we have another body.

Maura fakes a smile and follows the detective hot on her heels.

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The two women arrive at the new crime scene, a car at a traffic light that has set its left blinkers.

It doesn't surprise them that there are a lot more onlookers at this scene than like at the last. It is in the middle of the day and there are so many potential eye witnesses.

In the moment, Jane is more than glad that she isn't a uniformed officer anymore. She lifts the yellow tape for her wife and takes the new crime scene in immediately. She can see that the window on the driver's side is broken because pieces of it is lying on the street. That tells her whatever has happened, happened on the passenger's side.

She takes a deep breath and puts on a pair of latex gloves. It always amazes her what a first look at the crime scene can reveal, what it is telling you. That was the first thing she had learn from Korsak as she had joined Homicide: Let the crime scene talk to you, listen to its story. What you see there in the first place can be crucial.

And that's what she always do when she comes to a scene, she gets a general view. She spots Frost and walks to him while her wife is heading for the car. She learned fast that Maura almost works like her. She evaluates the new situation first before she works more precisely. That's why Jane always asks Korsak or Frost if they have the ID of the victim to give the ME the time she needs.

She nods at him and wrings her hands with furrowed eyebrows. "What do we got Frost?"

He looks up from his notepad and shakes his head with a sigh. "Looks like a failed car theft at first sight. A neighbor called 911 after he heard a loud bang and he looked out of the window. Said that a dark sedan speed off, but the car of the victim didn't moved even though she had several green phases."

Jane nods slowly and looks up and down the road. "Any ID?"

"Yup," he says and hands her the victim's driver's license. "Her name is Kelly Ellison, forty-six."

The Italian studies the driver's license, the name and the picture on it and she can't help the feeling that she has seen the face and heard the name already she just don't know why and when and where. "Kelly Ellison," she whispers and frowns.

"Jane, what is it," the younger man asks and furls his eyebrows.

The Italian still stares at the license and shakes her head. "Probably nothing. When did the witness called 911?"

"Forty-five minutes ago," Frost states and he shrugs as he catch a disbelieving look from Jane.

Maura looks at both of them and raises briefly her eyebrows. "I can agree to that. The victim's body still have a regular body temperature and rigor mortis haven't set in yet."

Jane sighs heavily and walks to the passenger's side. "Frost, what about her wallet? Maybe a robbery?"

"Cash and credit cards are still in the wallet."

"So we can robbery and car theft rule out," Jane says and inspects the passenger's door and the window. "The attack came from the inside." She states and eyes the victim with a small wound on the victim's cheek and she inhales the familiar smell of burned gun powder in the driver's cabin. The window on the driver's side is broken from the inside. Something tells me that this wasn't random."

"Maybe drugs." Frost throws in and shrugs.

"How much cash?" She asks.

His shoulders slumps. "Sixty bucks."

"Seriously?" Jane replies and studies the body. "The wound entrance is under her right eye and her body looks like she was not prepared for the shooting."

"I am the Medical Examiner," Maura says playfully.

"Sorry," Jane replies and shrugs with a smile. "I only learn from the best."

Frost rolls his eyes. "Guys, we're at a crime scene."

Jane smirks at her wife and frowns as she looks at Frost. "Tell Korsak that I wanna talk to the witness at the precinct, today." She looks at Maura and frowns. "You were right, it's gonna be a long day."

Maura nods understanding. "I'll call you when I am done with the autopsy."

The Italian chuckles and straightens up as she gets out of the driver's cabin, looking at the younger man. "You and I are driving back to the station and find out who Kelly Ellison was and why someone could have a reason to kill her." She sighs heavily and frowns. "Maura, you okay?"

"Yes," the voice of the ME comes out of the car. "I am sure that Sergeant Korsak won't mind it to give me a ride."

Jane smiles wryly and starts to walk towards her car. "Come on, Frost."

Frost put his notepad back in the inside pocket of his jacket and follows the Italian without saying a word. He glances at her and frowns. Not only Jane has a odd feeling in this case, something strikes him odd too, but he can't name what. He opens the passenger's door and sits down in the car.


	7. Chapter 6

Jane is sitting in BRIC at a desk and chews on the nail of her thumb while she is staring at the big screen on the wall. Somehow, she is feeling like a big storm is coming towards them. She can't tell why the name Kelly Ellison is sounding so familiar to her or why the name itself makes her feel nervous, or giving her a bad feeling.

She is aware that Frost is doing his best to find anything out about the latest victim and that it wouldn't help if she goad him, he probably would ignore her and work his own pace. She takes a deep breath and tries to wait patiently, though she rather would be downstairs right now and attend the autopsy.

It is striking her as slightly odd that a woman can be shot at the middle of the day and that there are no real eye witnesses, and somehow she has the feeling that this wasn't just a random car theft.

"Holy shit," Frost says and he furls his eyebrows as he finally found some very important informant.

Jane is seeing the same like he does and she gets up slowly to her feet as she takes the information in. Her heart is dropping and her head starts to spin. She grabs her jacket from the back of the chair and starts to head towards the door. "Frost, call Korsak and tell him to meet me at Kelly's address. I am already on my way."

Frost nods and gets his phone in the hand. If he is honest, he didn't see that coming. He clenches his teeth and starts to dial the Sergeant's number.

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The Italian is sitting behind the steering wheel of her unmarked car and stares at the one-story house. It is an older, maintained building that has a neat garden. It almost looks like the first time she had saw it. It was almost the same occasion like today and she still can remember the thick tears and the loud sobs as Korsak and she came by to inform the Ellison's about decease of Sandra Richardson, the victim's older sister.

It was Jane's first case in Homicide and Sandra got killed by her extremely jealous ex-boyfriend after she came home from a date with her new admirer. She didn't had the chance to defend herself after Carlos Gómez kicked in the apartment door and attacked Sandra immediately. In his twinge of rage, he strangled her to death.

It didn't take Korsak and her two days to figure out what had happened in that faithful night, thanks to Sandra's will to live and the modern forensic work.

She isn't quite sure how she could forget that case and the poor family who had to bewail the loss of a family member that once was brimful of life. And now they are back to shatter the family once more, so many years later.

Jane takes a deep breath and gets out of her car when Korsak's car pulls up on the other side of the street and waits for him with a more than worried expression.

He has an folder tugged under his arm and his face is hard as stone. "I thought Frost would be messing with me when he told me who Kelly Ellison was."

"I wish he would have been joking," Jane replies and runs an hand through her hair. This won't be easy today. "I totally forgot about Kelly's sister Sandra."

He nods slowly and shakes his head. "Me too, Jane, me too. But it is ages ago and neither you nor I can remember all victims and their families."

"Maybe we should remember all of them," Jane grumbles and starts to walk towards the house. "Maybe sometimes we should remember those we couldn't save, Vince."

The older man sighs heavily and rings the doorbell. "We can't live in the past, Jane. That only would ruin us and our lives."

"Well, now we're about to ruin someone else's life." She says and her eyes find Korsak's when the muffled laugh of a child comes through the door and a annoyed groan from another kid. A male voice is admonishing both of the kids and then the front door opens.

A man who is a little older than the victim is looking with kind brown eyes at them and the smile on his lips immediately dies. He looks like he recognize them instantly and swallows hard. Detective Korsak, Detective Rizzoli." He says and frowns. "It's been ages the last time I saw you. What brings you here?"

Jane looks briefly at Korsak and than back at Bradley Ellison and frowns deeply. "Um, may we come in, Mr. Ellison?"

Bradley Ellison senses that something is off and steps aside to let the detectives in. He wipes his hands in the kitchen towel that is hanging over his shoulder. He closes the door and leads the way into the living room that only changed a little bit over the years. "Are you here to tell my wife that Carlos is out on parole? Kelly isn't home yet. She should be here in any minute."

Korsak decides that Jane is going to tell Bradley the newest stroke of fate because he knows that she wouldn't like to have it any other way. That's why he doesn't say a word for now.

Jane licks her lips and furrows as she thinks about the best way to break the news. She takes a deep breath and looks long at the poor man. "We would like to talk to you about your wife, Mr. Ellison."

Bradley looks long at and he can see it in her eyes, and his knees are giving in.

The two detectives are right at his side and brace him before he can collapse on the floor.

Bradley's body starts to shake, but not one tear escapes from his eyes, taking a couple of deep breathes to compose himself again. He nods to himself and steps back from the detectives. "Would you … would you give me a couple of minutes? I have to send my children upstairs, I don't want them to hear what you have to tell me."

The Italian's eyes are soft and she nods understanding. "Of course, take all the time you need."

Bradley nods again and leaves the living room without another word.

Jane sighs heavily and looks long at the older man, her face says it all. She wants to be anywhere but here right now. She eyes the framed pictures on the wall and the sideboards and a deep frown takes place on her forehead. Suddenly, she is aware that three lives had changed within a blink of the eye and that nothing will be the same for family Ellison anymore just because … She isn't sure because of what.

Korsak watches her closely and be does have the same thoughts. He can't understand why a mother of two had to die if this wasn't a failed car theft. He furls his eyebrows and drops his eyes to the floor.

Jane looks at the entrance of the living room and swallows hard as Bradley reappears.

"What happened," the man, who seems to have aged for ten years now, asks inconsolably.

The Italian clears her throat and is sitting down on a small couch as Bradley points at it, Korsak prefers to stand. "I'm afraid that your wife became a victim of a … a failed car theft."

"She is dead, isn't she," the other man asks and pierces Jane with his gaze. His once vivid eyes appears to be dead now.

Jane takes a moment before she answers his question, "I'm afraid yes."

He buries his face in his hands and a painful sob escapes from his throat and his shoulders begin to shake as he sits down on a old armchair.

She presses her lips together and place gently an hand on his knee to give him solace. She knows that a family member always needs a moment after such news and she will give him all the time Bradley needs right now.

Korsak takes his notepad out of his jacket and furls his eyebrows. "Mr. Ellison, can you tell us where Kelly was this morning and noon?"

Bradley wipes angrily his eyes and looks up to the older man. "At work. She was at work. Before you showed up I was about to call her workplace because Kelly was already an hour and a half too late. Deep down I knew that something was wrong because she always called as soon as she saw that she would running late, but not today. We both work part-time. Kelly work from morning to noon, and I have the nightshift. It isn't easy but we made it work."

Jane frowns slightly and nods. "Did Kelly behaved strangely the last couple of days?"

He shakes his head and squints up at the ceiling, scoffing humorless. "No, Everything was like always. Well, as normal as it could be, Saturday is the anniversary of Sandra's death." He sees the blank stare of the Italian and shrugs. "You have forgotten about it, haven't you?"

"I did not forget the case." Jane retorts and it is almost the truth.

He smiles sadly and sighs. "You can't remember every anniversary of your cases, I know that, Detective Rizzoli. And you don't have to lie to about that, it's thirteen years ago. Kelly, our children and I planned to drive to my parents so she wouldn't have to think too much about it. No matter how many years had gone by, she never got over the death of her sister. But the pain got better and Kelly was able to refocus on our life. She was pregnant with our first child, Diana, and I think that helped Kelly a lot." He pauses and blinks his tears back. "I don't know how I should tell my children that their mother won't come home anymore. I … I am not sure if I understand that Kelly is dead. I mean … I mean, Kelly was a careful person and she wouldn't hesitate to give her damn car away if someone threatened her with a weapon. I don't understand … How could that happen, Detective Rizzoli?"

Jane is holding his gaze and for the first time since a while she can feel her heart constricting painfully in her chest as she looks into confused, incomprehensible eyes, and she doesn't have an answer right away. She squeezes his forearm and tries to comfort him through her touch. She decides to be honest with this poor man. "I honestly can't tell you what went wrong today, or why someone chose the car of your wife, Sir. And I wish I would have words to ease the pain that you are feeling right now. But I can promise you that I will do everything to catch the person who murdered Kelly, just like my colleagues."

Bradley is nodding and takes a deep breath, looking directly at her. "I know, Detective. I know that and I can believe you."

Jane smiles reassuringly before they say their goodbyes and leave the house.

Korsak walks with her to her car and looks directly at the Italian. "You okay?"

She nods and sighs heavily as she unlocks her car. "Yeah, but would you mind if I take some time for myself before I come back to the station?"

"Nah," he says and pats fatherly her shoulder. He doesn't need to say anything more because he knows that it wouldn't do anything good right now. He can see that his protégée needs time for herself and that is what he is giving her now, even if this time-out will last until tomorrow.

He signs heavily and gets into his own car, starting the engine.

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Maura is finishing the autopsy of Kelly Ellison and is expecting her wife to come down and at least ask for what she has found out about the death of the woman. Something is telling her that this poor woman isn't just a new victim for her wife, Jane's reaction has told her so, but she didn't have the chance to ask Jane what the victim and Jane is connecting with each other. She tells herself that she will ask the detective if she gets the change.

The ME looks up when the door to the autopsy room opens and she is surprised when Korsak enters the room, but she smiles anyway. "Sergeant, I thought that Jane would come down herself."

Korsak shrugs and stuff his hands in the pockets of his pants. "She needs a little time for herself."

"Oh," shed says and a worried frown crawls onto her forehead. "What happened?"

He sighs heavily and walks to the autopsy table, looking at the covered body. "Jane and I had to investigate the murder of Kelly Ellison's sister Sandra. It was Jane's fist case as a Homicide Detective. It was a pretty clear case. Sandra got killed by her jealous ex-boyfriend after she came home from a date. He strangled Sandra to death. However, Jane is angry at herself because she didn't remember Kelly right away."

"When was the victim's sister killed?"

"Thirteen years ago."

The doctor looks worriedly at the older man and places an hand on her hip. She sighs loudly and furrows her brows. She knows that it is useless trying to tell her wife that it is perfectly fine not to remember every single case. She doesn't remember every person that she had examined either.

He smiles a little at her and takes a deep breath. "However, I thought I rather come down before you have to mob the floor cuz Frost throws up his food. What do you have, doc?"

Maura smiles back at him and hands him her autopsy report. "The shot to her head was lethal. It was a rather small bullet, probably a .22. The gun was shot from a close range, I found gunpowder residue around the entrance wound."

Korsak studies the report and furls his eyebrows. It looks like Jane was with everything right what she'd said at the crime scene and he is more than proud of that. "It is a odd wound track. It looks like the killer was sitting beside Kelly Ellison as she was shot." He pauses and looks into the unreadable face of the Medical Examiner. "I just was thinking out loud." He states.

Maura scoffs and takes her white coat from a hook. "I have the same notion. The wound track travels from the cheek upwards through the left side of the top of the skull." She holds her right arm in a certain position in front of her stomach to demonstrate the position of the gun. "He or she held the gun in that kind of position, that explains the wound track."

He nods approvingly and sighs. "Did she saw the shot coming?"

"Probably not. I haven't found any defensive wounds and according to the position of her body at the crime scene, she was most likely unaware of the threat, and the shot."

The Sergeant closes the file and glances questioningly at the blonde. "You're running some other tests?"

"The same as usual," Maura replies with a sigh and starts to lead the way out of the autopsy room. "But I am not expecting to find drugs in her blood, but I'll let you know, Vince."

He smiles wryly and holds the report up. "Thanks, Doc."

Maura smiles broadly and opens the door to the Lab. "You're welcome." She says and disappears in the next room.

Korsak nods to himself and makes his way back up to the bullpen.

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Later that night, Maura is coming back home to a fully illuminated house and she is glad that her wife decided to go home instead of running somewhere around in Boston and chasing some lunatic without any backup. She knows how the Italian can be if she is really frustrated.

She enters their house and locks the door behind her, not being sure if she wanna face Jane right now, though she is curious about Kelly and Sandra. Tomorrow is still time to ask the Italian about it. Tonight, she just wanna make sure that her wife is okay and that she'll find the way to their bedroom.

Maura frowns a little when she finds the kitchen clean a d empty, and she walks into it to pour herself a glass of wine. She had learned the hard way to give Jane some space after a hard day, and somehow she needs a little time for herself fight now.

She spots Jane's keys and badge on the kitchen island and is glad that her wife has learned to lock her gun in the gun safe upstairs in their bedroom. In the past, she almost got heart attacks because the weapon laid carelessly everywhere.

Her eyes are glued to Jane's golden badge and the tips of her fingers are trailing over the cool metal. She remembers how many times her eyes were staying on the Italian's hip even though she wasn't allowed to ask herself how the skin under the fabric of Jane's clothes would feel like. Now, Maura is biting her bottom lip because she knows the answer by heart and she isn't getting tired of it.

She sighs heavily because she thinks that those kind of thoughts a little inappropriate tonight and wants to go upstairs and take a well-earned hot bath. She wants something warm to embrace her body before she goes to bed and she doubt that it will be the body of Jane tonight. But as soon as she stands at the stairs her inner voice tells her to go down to the basement and at least check on the detective, to let Jane know that she is at home and safe and sound.

At the day Jane moved in with her the two women made a good arrangement. Maura could keep her yoga room and study up in the first floor, and Jane could have the basement for her boxing dummy and her other stuff, her own little kingdom, her sanctuary. And Maura wouldn't complain about what happened to the basement. Over time, the basement became Jane's personal gym.

Maura takes a deep breath and decides to go to the said basement with the glass of wine in her hand. She is glad that Jane doesn't stick to some rules like she is doing, so alcohol is allowed downstairs.

She sees the light in the basement but is surprised that she doesn't hear angry punches and grunts, and that's what alarms her extremely. She reaches the floor and sees Jane sitting on the bench on which she usually is pushing her weights. She has propped her elbows on her knees and stares at open folders on the floor. One drawer of the high, silver file cabinet is standing open.

Maura always wondered what's in those two ugly things, but she never dared to ask her wife. She can see that the Italian has unbutton her dress shirt and that a open bottle of Scotch is standing next to the bench, and that worries the doctor even more. "Jane?"

Jane is wincing and her head turns to the stairs, smiling sad and tired. "I didn't hear you come home."

"I just came home, ten minutes ago." Maura says and steps a little closer. "I thought I should give you some time for yourself, but then I worried. What are you doing down here."

The Italian purses her lips and takes a deep breath as she looks at the mess, sipping the Scotch. "These are all my notes of my cases since I joined Homicide. I kept them all because they became a part of my life, they made me who I am today. And I am somehow sentimental."

Maura sits down next to her wife and frowns deeply. She heard about the oddities of detectives, that they keep their very own notes but she never was aware of the fact that the Italian could be one of them. "And why are you looking at them now?"

Jane stares at her feet and shrugs. "I was looking for the notes of Sandra Richardson, Kelly's sister. She was my first case when I joined Homicide. And I forgot her."

Maura is silent for a moment and then she presses gently her lips to Jane's cheek, anything else seems to inappropriate right now. "You are just a human, Jane." She whispers and nestles her nose in Jane's neck. "And that's what I love about you."

"That I forget people." The Italian growls and wants to push the blonde away.

Maura chews on the inside of her cheek and frowns. "That you still care about all those people, Jane. You haven't forgot them, honey, they are still there with you. Though you put them -" She pauses and tries to find the right words. "You put them somewhere else, you made place for other things, Jane."

Jane doesn't say anything and looks at the bottle in her hand. It doesn't happen that often that she's drinking hard stuff like Scotch, but as she came home she felt the need. "Yeah, but they also can be a burden, Maura." She says and picks an picture up from the floor. She is surprised that she grabbed the right one at the first attempt. She sighs and hand it to Maura. "That is Kelly and her sister Sandra. Kelly gave us the tip to check up on Carlos Gómez, Sandra's ex-boyfriend. He strangled her because no one should have her but him. If I wouldn't know it any better then I would think that he seek revenge on her."

Maura sighs heavily and pulls her wife closer. She knows that Jane can be a restless soul who only comes to rest when she is fast asleep of in coma. She does want neither thing to happen right now and frowns. "I love you, Jane."

"How can you," Jane asks and stands up from the bench, looking into confused and shocked eyes. "How can you love someone like me? I mean, you had it all, Ben was a good man for you, and you chose me over him! I am broken, Maura. My past is haunting me! Everywhere I go, my past is already there! I -"

"I know what you're doing," Maura cuts her wife off and steps to the taller woman. She can see that her wife is intoxicated, but she doesn't say anything about that. "You are blaming yourself for not saving Kelly Ellison and her sister, I know that you're punishing yourself for that but you helped so much other people, Jane, because you are good in your job."

Jane tenses up and she glares at the doctor. She wants to yell at Maura because she thinks that she is failing over and over again. But she knows that this would be anything but fair, her feelings isn't Maura's fault. She isn't quite sure why she is feeling like she is about to lose control about her whole life. She swallows hard and pulls the ME into a tight hug, burying her face into the crook of Maura's neck. Suddenly, a deep sob escapes from her throat and her body starts to shake.

Maura doesn't say a word because that would Jane stop from showing how she is currently feeling and she rubs soothingly the Italian's back. She closes her eyes and let Jane cry in her arms. "It's okay, Jane. It's okay, honey, you can let it all out." She sighs heavily and frowns worriedly. "Come on, let's get you to bed, Jane."

The Italian nods approvingly and let her wife lead the way upstairs. She stumbles briefly and grins sheepishly at the blonde as she looks at her. She groans and doesn't say a word as they head to their bedroom and flops down onto the bed. She doesn't move an inch or help Maura as the doctor starts to undress her. All she wanna do right now is to fall asleep and don't wake up until the case is over.

Maura sighs once again and looks long at the Italian. She never has seen the detective so torpid and that's what worries her right now, but she won't talk about it tonight. Therefore, tomorrow is enough time she tells herself and starts to get ready for bed as well.

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 _ **Some people's lives are material for a good movie, the lives of others material for a bad one. But the overwhelming majority is leading an existence which is numbing banal, that the film-going public would fidget boredly. Instead of romantic comedies and poignant love stories there would only be barren everyday dramas and dull tragedies. Shakespeare was right, the whole world is a stage, and we all are just actors, but most of the people can't even act if they are casted as their own role. They lack truthfulness, and the best dialogues are crossing their minds afterwards!**_

 _He takes the paper from the printer and looks at his written words before he neatly folds the paper and shoves it into envelope._

 _Maybe she will finally understand what he means!_


	8. Chapter 7

**Hey, guys. Thank you for your reviews and for following this story. I have a clear few now how this story will go, I hope you stay with me to see the what I have planned.**

 **This is just a small chapter but I hope that you will like it as well.**

 **Enjoy.**

 **T73.**

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Jane is sitting at the kitchen island and has her head buried in her hands. She realizes that it was a bad idea to drown her sorrows in Scotch the previous night. She had woken up and in the moment she had opened her eyes, her head was killing her. She groans and looks up as soon as she hears the back door of the house opens.

Angela smiles broadly as she comes into the kitchen and she frowns deeply when she notices her daughter's physical state. "Oh, my … What happened, Jane?"

"Too much Scotch last night," the younger Italian says and makes a face.

Angela arches an brow and places Jane's and Maura's mail on the island. She doesn't comment the statement of her daughter because Korsak had told her that Jane was all churned up inside after they had talked to the husband of their latest victim. She opens the fridge and takes orange juice out of it.

Jane knows what the silence of her mother means and straightens up on her chair. She sighs dramatically and decides to sort their mail while her mother is judging her because of her drinking. "Thanks for bringing the mail in, Ma." She mumbles and looks ashamed at the matriarch.

Angela pours Jane a glass of orange juice and nods approvingly. "You're welcome. Where is Maura?"

The detective takes a look at her watch and frowns slightly. "Um, she should be down any minute."

"I guess your wife wasn't very happy that you drank your brain out last night."

Jane rolls her eyes and regrets it in the same minute. "Jesus, Ma. Sometimes it happens that Maura or I have a drink or two too much, it's not a big deal."

"Yeah, that's what your father always said too," Angela says and put the juice back in the fridge.

Jane's jaw hits the floor a she feels like her mother just had punched her in the stomach. She gets up from her chair and rounds the kitchen island. "Did you just compared me with Pop at his worst times? Jesus, it's not like I am downing a bottle of Scotch every night when I come home, Ma. I just had a hard day yesterday and today it's a new day. I can't believe that you say something like that to me."

Angela sighs heavily and looks long at her daughter. "I am just worried about you, Janie."

Jane sighs as well and kisses her mother on the cheek. "Ma, I am fine, really."

"Alright," the older woman relents with a roll of her eyes and the detective chuckles as she starts to pay attention to the mail again.

Maura joins them in the kitchen and kisses her wife on the lips. "Good morning, Angela."

"Good morning. How did you sleep." The older woman says and glances at Jane.

"Good, thank you." Maura answers with a knowingly smile and pours herself a cup of coffee. "And yourself?"

"Pretty good."

Jane rolls her eyes again and then she furls her eyebrows as she holds the white envelope without sender or receiver. She tears the envelope open and her heart drops.

 _Some people's lives are material for a good movie, the lives of others material for a bad one. But the overwhelming majority is leading an existence which is numbing banal, that the film-going public would fidget boredly. Instead of romantic comedies and poignant love stories there would only be barren everyday dramas and dull tragedies. Shakespeare was right, the whole world is a stage, and we all are just actors, but most of the people can't even act if they are casted as their own role. They lack truthfulness, and the best dialogues are crossing their minds afterwards!_

Maura is about to sip the hot liquid in her mug, but she stops her motion as she sees the pale face of her wife. "Jane, what's wrong?"

Jane puts the letter on the island like she is holding a grenade in her hand and slaps the hand of Angela away as the matriarch wants to take the letter in the hand.

"Are you out of your mind." Maura asks horrified and Angela is looking shocked at her daughter.

"Do not touch that, Ma." Jane warns and takes her phone from its holder, typing a text message.

Maura walks to the detective and takes a look at the said letter and all color drains from her face as she is reading the line and she looks with huge eyes at her wife.

"What is going on," Angela asks loudly even though she already knows the answer deep down in her heart.

Jane looks seriously at her mother and furrows her eyebrows, pointing at Angela. "Just … trust me for once, alright."

It doesn't take Frost and Korsak too long until they arrive at the married couple's house.

Korsak is wearing a pair of gloves as he reads the letter with furled eyebrows.

"Why don't you know who posted the letter," Frankie asks louder and glares at his sister.

Maura is standing at the island and has her arms over her chest crossed. She has a worried expression because it is clear by now that both of the murders weren't random, and that someone is trying to get under their skin, successfully.

Jane growls dangerously low and her face is unreadable. "Because we are not standing at the windows the whole day, Frankie. And who knows, the envelope could have been posted yesterday in the night."

"That's calming me down," he huffs and Jane growls again.

Frost shrugs and eyes the subject. "Maybe …" He trails off and sighs. "Maybe this has nothing to do with our case."

Maura huffs in disbelief and turns away from the group.

"It has to do with the case, Frost." Jane says empathetically and raises her eyebrows high. "This letter wasn't accidentally thrown in in the wrong mailbox. He was right in front our house and he sent us this message. I bet a hundred bucks that there will be no fingerprints on this damn paper, except mine." She sighs heavily and looks at her wife and she hates the fact that this crazy person knows where they are living, and that he could have break into the house and do whatever the hell he wanted to do and she wouldn't have noticed because she was drunk

She shudders at the thought and walks to Maura, placing an hand on the small of her back. She had learned to live with a target on her forehead, but she could never forgive herself if something happens to Maura or her mother, or her brothers.

She still dreams about it as Geoffrey Dowell seek revenge on Ben and abducted him and Maura as his final act. How fear wrapped tightly its fingers around her neck as she found Maura's abandoned car in the driveway. How she was willed to do anything to get Maura back, how she was willed to break each of Dane Chapman's fingers to get the so needed information. It didn't matter to her, she even would have beaten him to death. And the so scared eyes of her wife as they finally found them also had never left her mind. And the thought that she perhaps wouldn't see Maura, it all still haunts her.

Maura senses that something else is wrong and she looks at the others. "Would you excuse us for a minute?" She asks and grabs Jane's hand, heading to the hallway. She let her eyes roam over Jane's face and frowns. "What's wrong?"

Jane purses her lips and shakes her head. She never told the ME how she was about to break Dane's fingers and the guys were just standing by, and she demands that none of them would say a word about it. She is sure that Maura wouldn't judge her for that, but it would be a elephant in the room.

The blonde let her hands wander over the taller woman's arms and she looks questioningly at her. "Jane?"

The detective's shoulders slump and she shakes her head. "You know, I was just hoping … that … that … I am sorry, Maura."

"For what?" Maura whispers and keeps the gaze of Jane. Normally she is able to decipher the emotions that are mirrored in brown eyes, but right now she isn't because right now so many of emotions are flickering in those eyes.

"I am supposed to keep you save, but instead I am sitting in the basement and drink my head off and feel sorry for myself while a lunatic is somewhere outside." Jane whispers and she clenches her teeth. "God knows what could have happened last night, Maura."

"But nothing has happened." Maura whispers back and gives the detective a peck. "Nothing happened and we don't know when the envelope was posted, Jane."

The taller woman nods slowly and is still frowning deeply. "I could never forgive myself if something happen to you or the rest of my family."

"Jane -" Maura starts.

"No," Jane cuts her off and her face darkens. "I mean it, Maura."

Maura looks long at Jane and closes her eyes. She has the same feeling about the detective. She couldn't live with herself if something happens to Jane or Angela.

In the same time Korsak takes Frost aside and looks worriedly at the younger man. "The letter isn't addressed to Jane or Maura or Angela, we have no clue who of them is this asshole's target." He whispers and watches Frankie who takes care of his mother.

Frost is furling his eyebrows. "Do you really think that someone would hurt Angela?"

"To get to Jane? Hell, yeah."

"What do you suggest?"

"Let's keep an eye on each of them and catch the son of a bitch before he can strike again!"

"I like that plan."

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Jane has an unreadable face as she is standing in the Lab and watches Maura working the envelope and the printed letter with Ninhydrin, chewing on the inside of her cheek. She isn't quite sure what those lines actually should mean and that makes her crazy.

Maura doesn't look at her wife but she can feel her eyes on her person and sighs heavily. "Jane, you're making me nervous. You can wait upstairs for the result."

"There won't be any result at all, Maura." Jane replies and her eyes find hazel ones. "The only fingerprints you gonna find are mine, Maura."

Maura stops her work and stares the detective down, licking her lips with a sigh. She knows what Jane is doing.

Jane furrows confused her eyebrows and let her arms drop to her sides. "What … Maura, why are you stopping?"

Maura pulls her gloves off and takes a look around. "Jane, I'll be fine. No one is coming in and taking me away while my employees are around."

"Yeah, that's what we thought when Paddy came in and kidnapped you." Jane grumbles and looks stern at her wife.

The doctor presses her lips together and decides to not continue her work until the other woman leaves. "I have a lot work to do, and so do you. I'll call you if I have a result, Jane."

"Fine," Jane huffs and lowers her eyebrows. "And don't complain if you are wrong."

Maura smiles and watches the detective leave with the utmost reluctance, but as soon as Jane is out of sight her smile falls and her shoulders slump. She doesn't like where this case is going, either.

She straightens her shoulders and gets a new pair of gloves out of a box.

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Korsak is standing in front of the glass board and studies the copy of the message Jane and Maura had received this morning. He is used to the fact that a good detective like Jane can become a obsession of a lunatic once like it already had happened. But it unsettles him that she seems to be a magnet for those people and now her family became a target.

He already has seen what Jane is capable to do when it comes to Maura, he doesn't want to imagine what she will do when someone is putting an hand on her mother. He isn't sure what he is going to do when someone is harming his dear friend.

The Sergeant knows that Angela isn't a defenseless, but he isn't sure how she will react if she has to face a potential threat. People like Jane and Maura can seize up the situation after the first shock and act, but Angela never had been in such a situation and would probably panic, just like a normal victim would do. Under other circumstances he would suggest that Angela leaves that Angela leaves the guest house until the case is over, but he knows that this is no option because Jane inherited from her mother, and Angela is an potential target already.

He sighs heavily and sips his coffee.

"Do you think that Daniel Powers was killed by the same killer who killed Kelly Ellison?" Frost asks and flops down on his chair.

The older man turns to him and puts the glasses off of his nose. "We have to assume so. I mean, Jane is the connection between Powers and Ellison."

"But that would mean that the killer would know about Jane's solving rate and the cases she worked." Frost replies and straightens his tie. "What leads me to the conclusion that we are talking a cop or someone who is working for the force."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that, "Korsak replies and walks to his desk. "Our perp also can be a great fan of Jane after he saw her in the news. Since I know her she only worked the hardest cases."

"I couldn't imagine it other ways." Frost states with a small smile. When he became her new assigned partner he was almost speechless because he had heard a lot good things about the Italian that became over the years one of his best friends.

He sighs loudly and gets up to his feet. "What I don't get is this … **message**." He pauses and frowns. "We can't get any of those two get hurt, Korsak. They can't exist without each other."

Korsak looks surprised at Frost and nods approvingly and he opens his mouth to reply something.

"What do you guys got," Jane asks as she enters the bullpen and runs an hand through her hair.

Korsak blinks a couple of times. "I hope that you could give us some new information."

She smiles weakly and shrugs. "Maura was refusing to keep on working while I am in the Lab."

"She caught you watching her," Frost asks with a laugh.

"Yeah," she groans and smiles weakly. "She literally kicked me out of the Lab. Is there any other connection than me between Daniel Powers and Kelly Ellison?"

"I haven't found any other than you." Frost states and shrinks in his chair as Korsak shoots him a glare.

Jane nods and licks her lips with a big sigh, and then she looks at Korsak with furled eyebrows. "None of the cases were big enough to make the front-page story and Maura wasn't working for the BPD in that period."

"So you think that whoever did this is after you?" Frost's asks and frowns.

She nods with a shrug and sits down on her chair. _Rather me than anyone else_ , she thinks to herself. "Yeah."

Frost looks at Korsak and both men have the same worried expression. They turn their attention to the entrance of the bullpen as they hear a familiar clicking of heels.

Maura smiles tensely at the three detectives and hands Korsak an folder. "On the envelope and the letter was only one set of fingerprints." She says without her usual greetings and gives her wife a brown paper bag.

Jane frowns and looks up at the blonde. "What's that?"

"A cinnamon roll, you didn't have had breakfast."

"Thanks."

Korsak doesn't need to take a look in the folder to know whose fingerprints were found on the evidence and drops the file to his desk.

Jane takes a deep breath and frowns. "There were only my fingerprints on the paper, right?"

The ME looks long at the Italian and nods approvingly. "Yes."

Jane sighs heavily and bites into her cinnamon roll. "I knew it." She mumbles and chews on the food.

Maura rolls her eyes and crosses her arms over her chest. She turns to the board and studies the facts. She sighs heavily and looks over her shoulder when she feels a tug at her hand. She smiles a little as she sees the questioningly look of Jane.

"You investigated dozens of murder cases, Jane." Frost states and glance with a frown at her. "Do you think that the all the families are in danger right now?"

Jane swallows the food in her mouth and licks her lips with a nod. "Yes, we have to assume that."

"But we don't have that many police officers to assign them to protect each of them."

"Which means that we have to catch the killer sooner rather than later."

Korsak sits down at his desk and furls his eyebrows. "I wonder how the murderer get all the information about you and your old cases. That could mean that he is one …" He pauses and lowers his voice. "One of us."

A pregnant silence settles over the group of four as soon as he said those words. It is always hard to chase an organized psychopath, but if that psychopath also is a member of the force it is almost unbearable and aggravating because the killer knows the procedures of the investigators and the criminal techs.

Maura raises her eyebrows high and drops her arms to her sides. "Don't forget the employees of the forensic department. They also can have access to case files."

"That doesn't narrow down the numbers of suspects." Jane replies and leans back in her chair with a deep frown. "We can't go around and accuse everyone in this building of murder."

"But if we are right, we should move our investigate results somewhere else." Korsak states and looks at each of the others. "I mean, if we stay here and one of our coworkers is our perp he can see where we are standing."

"We could take advantage of it, though." Jane retorts and looks at the older man. "We can see how is pretty interested in our investigation and keep an eye on them."

"That would be purely arbitrary and probably a waste of time," Maura says and shrugs. "You can't assume that everyone who stops at the board is the killer, Jane."

"Maura's right." Frost agrees and shrugs. "That would be arbitrariness. I mean, I can't count how many times I checked on other detective's investigate results and offered them my help. Our colleagues could get the wrong end of the stick if we suddenly suspect them just because they wanna help, Jane."

Jane gets up angrily from her chair and is clenching her firsts. "I just can't grasp this damn case the right way." She growls low and swallows hard.

Maura can sense that her wife would like to punch someone or throw something against the wall and she places an hand on the Italian's back, trying to sooth her. "Maybe you should go downstairs and get some fresh air, Jane."

Jane is gritting her teeth and looks at each of the others. She can see that the two men share the same opinion like the doctor and grabs her jacket from the back of her chair. "Fine," she grumbles and stomps towards the entrance of the bullpen.

Maura presses her lips together and looks at Frost and Korsak. She can see that the two men are thinking the same, but they don't wanna tell it to Jane because she would have their guts for garters. That's why she suggested Jane to leave the building and have some fresh air, because Jane would listen rather to her than her partners.

Korsak is nodding approvingly as he sees the conflict in the doctor's eyes and sighs. "She'll calm down."

Maura smiles a sad smile and nods. "I know." She says and leaves the bullpen again. She knows that the Italian is going to calm down if she is long enough at the fresh air or goes to the gym to blow off steam. But that doesn't have to mean that she is felling comfortable with that. Everybody knows that a pissed Jane Rizzoli is at her best.


	9. Chapter 8

**Hey, guys. Again thank you for all your reviews. One idea after another for this story is coming to my mind and that's why I neglect my other stories a bit and I apologize for that, but you know how it can be, some things you can't control.**

 **I wrote this chapter to take out the tension a bit, and I click on Crime/Family, so I thought a bit of personal time of Jane and Maura outside of the precinct could be nice too.**

 **Anyway, it's just another short update and I hope that you will like this chapter as well and you're as always welcome to tell me what you think.**

 **So, enjoy.**

 **T73.**

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Jane has her hands stuffed in the pockets of her pants as she walks through the streets of Boston and she decides to ignore the strange looks of some passersby. She can understand why Maura told her to get some fresh air because she was about to beat someone up. Every man who gives her a curious look is automatically a personal threat and she hates it. Usually, she is already a careful person but now she starts to feel paranoid and she hates it too.

She takes a deep breath and risks a look at her watch. She is gone for an hour already and her head hasn't stop to spin, but she knows that it is time to head back to the station before one of the guys starts to worry, or worse, her wife.

She can't shake the feeling off that someone is watching her and she takes a look around, but everyone around seems to be busy with their phones or cares about the person next to them. She scoffs and rolls her eyes. _I really am to get paranoid. How many idiots already have sent a weird letter to me_ , she thinks to herself and decides to get a coffee before she heads back. _This is just some idiot who wants to get our attention, and it works. Perhaps Daniel's and Kelly's deaths are must coincidences and I make a big deal out of it. Though, I don't believe in coincidences. Shut up, Jane_.

She takes a deep breath and enters the coffee shop with a frown, but she can't get rid of that damn feeling that someone is following her.

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Maura is standing in the kitchen and is cutting the cucumber for the mixed salad that she is preparing while Jane is securing the whole house and probably is going to check on her mother before she comes to rest.

The doctor had decided not to argue with Jane about that because she knows that it would be useless and that she would be the one who gives in. And she knows that Jane needs the feeling of being in control after a sick person tried to turn their lives upside down this morning. Somehow she needs to have the feeling too, that Jane is there and protect both of them. She's feeling bad for feeling that way cuz Jane is just a human and it is not her fault that the Italian is a popular target for a mental ill person.

She sighs content with a smile as strong arms are wrapping around her waist and tilts her head to the side.

"I double-checked doors and windows in the guest house and in ours." Jane whispers into the smaller woman's ear and kisses her neck. She loves the fact that Maura wears her hair in a ponytail when they are back at home from work. She smiles as Maura turns her head so she can kiss her cheek. She turns her nose up as she sees the meal of the evening. "I was hoping for pizza, or pasta, or a burger instead of greens."

Maura turns in Jane's arms with a smile and starts to caress the detective's cheek with her hand.

Jane lowers skeptically her eyebrows. "What?"

"I love you." Maura simply says.

Jane exhales slowly through her nose and pulls Maura closer. It was such a frenetic day that none of them had the chance to proclaim their love for each other. She bends her head and kisses the lips of the blonde long and gently. She pulls away and looks deep into hazel eyes. "I love you too, Maura. That's why I am -"

"I know, Jane." The doctor interrupts her and let her hands roam over Jane's shoulders.

The detective furrows her eyebrows now. "Can I order pizza now?"

"No."

"Damn!"

"Maybe we should drive away over the weekend to take our minds off unless we're called to a new crime scene." Maura suggests and smiles a little.

Jane takes Maura's hand in her own and guides it to her lips, kissing the knuckles gently. "That sounds wonderful, but Frankie and I have plans for tomorrow."

"Oh." The ME says and frowns. "Is it work-related?"

"Actually, no." Jane answers and kisses her wife again. "It is a surprise for you and I hope you'll like it."

Maura can't hide her broad smile and sighs in relief. "I'm sure I will. And what is the surprise."

Jane scoffs and buries her face in the crook of the blonde's neck. "You see," she whispers and bites playfully Maura's neck.

The doctor hums and runs her fingers through her wife's hair. She is glad that they at least can pretend that they are a normal couple at a normal evening after work and that they still can laugh.

"Can I eat you now," Jane asks innocently and furrows her eyebrows.

"Later," the blonde retorts with a sly smile.

Jane needs a moment and lifts her favorite doctor onto the counter easily.

Maura chuckles before she straightens her back and kisses her wife hungrily as Jane steps in between her legs.

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Frankie is standing in an old jeans and a old shirt in a unused room in the first floor of Jane and Maura's house and frowns a little. "Tell me again why I am here at Saturday."

Jane rolls her eyes as she enters the room and place two paint buckets on the floor. "Because your big sister asked you kindly for your help, which doesn't happen very often."

"And why didn't you ask Tommy? He could use the money."

"It's his weekend with TJ."

"Maybe I had my own plans for today." He retorts. "Wine and dine my new girlfriend."

Jane straightens up and stretches her back. "Yeah? What's her name, huh?"

Frankie hesitates and drags a big carton into the room. "I said maybe." He says and frowns as he looks around. "I didn't know that there is still a free room in this house."

"It was Ben's study." His sister says and opens both buckets. "I had the choice to make it my workout room, but I preferred the basement."

"Because it was Ben's study?"

"That would make sense, right," she asks back and sighs heavily. "But no, that wasn't the reason. I preferred the basement cuz down there I don't have to keep the sound level in mind in the middle of the night when I can not sleep, so I don't have to worry if I wake Maura."

"That's very thoughtful." He states.

"I know."

"That doesn't happen often, either."

Jane is grinning and punches his shoulder. "Shut up."

He chuckles and rubs his arm, but then he frowns again. "You and Maura are married for over eight weeks now and we're about to furnish a nursery. Is there anything the two of you haven't told us yet?"

She furrows her eyebrows and keeps an straight face. "Like what?"

"I don't know," he says innocently with a shrug. "Something like _Hey, family. Maura is pregnant and that's why we're getting married_."

Jane makes a face and shudders. "That sounds like I got her accidentally pregnant and that this would be the reason why I married her." She says and her brothers starts to laugh. "And no, Maura isn't pregnant. What makes you think that she would be the one who carries our child?"

"Are you seriously asking me that," Frankie snickers and takes a deep breath. "Come on, Janie, it never crossed your mind that you would carry a child, especially not with your job. You would die of boredom if you would be on desk duty."

The older Rizzoli frowns now and takes a paint roller in her hand. She knows that her brother is right but she doesn't wanna think about that now. "No, no one is pregnant but Maura and I are thinking about to start our own family in the nearest future. And with all that happens the last couple of days, I try to have a kind of normalcy. Furnishing a nursery might help."

He nods and can understand what his sisters means. Especially after the killer just threatened both of them. "Ma will draw conclusions and freak out if she sees the nursery before Maura."

Jane rolls her eyes and says with a sigh, "That's why I sent her with Maura on the shopping spree, so she can't see it before Maura."

"I see," he replies with a smirk.

"Come one, let's get started or we won't be through with renovating the room before the girls come back." She starts and bump her shoulder into his.

He chuckles and arches an eyebrow as he starts to paint the opposite wall in a light teal. Jane kept telling him in the home improvement market that this would be a neutral color, but it tells him that she is wishing for a boy, but he kept that opinion for himself.

A couple of hours later Maura and Angela are coming fully loaded with shopping bags back home and stop as they find the kitchen and the living room empty.

"I thought Frankie and Jane wanted to stay home and watch sports," the older woman states and place her bags on the floor.

"That's what she told me." Maura replies just as confused as her mother-in-law and put her bags on the couch. She looks to the stairs as she hears footsteps.

She frowns when Jane appears in her paint-splattered clothes in the living room and she can't hide her confusion. She gasps as the Italian pulls her close to her body and frowns. "Why are you looking like that, Jane?" She asks and laughs amused as her wife peppers her neck with kisses.

"Because I have a surprise for you." Jane hums and finally kisses Maura's lips gently. "I already told you yesterday."

"Yes, I remember," the doctor laughs as the detective kisses her neck once again. "But I I was hoping that Frankie and you might throw a barbecue party or maybe install a Jacuzzi in the backyard."

"That thought didn't cross my mind." Jane admits into blond hair. She looks up without blushing and smirks at her mother. She was aware of the fact that she and Maura are watched by Angela and that's why she didn't let her hands travel down to the doctor's butt. "Hey, Ma."

"Hi, sweetheart." Angela replies skeptically but with a smile on her lips.

"Did you cornered all the shops on your way?" Jane asks as she sees all the bags.

"No," the smaller woman says with a smile and runs her hands over Jane's collarbone. "Can I see my surprise now?"

All of a sudden, Jane seems to be not sure about her actions anymore and she chews nervously on the inside of her cheek. "I hope you will like it." She states as she takes the blonde's hand in her own and starts to climb up the stairs.

"I am sure that I will." Maura says with a broad smile and follows her wife up.

Angela clears her throat and looks around. "I, um, go and put my stuff away."

Jane stops abruptly and rolls her eyes. "Come on, Ma. I know that you die to know and Maura will tell you anyway. But don't get your hopes up, all right?"

Maura chuckles and starts to follow Jane again. She isn't really sure what is gonna expecting her and frowns as they stop in front of the closed door that leads to the room that once was her ex-husband's study.

Jane swallows nervously and furrows her brows. "I can see that you are wondering why we are standing in front of Ben's study and I hope that you don't mind that Frankie and I turned it into something else. I mean, we only used it as a storage room since … well, since I moved in. So I thought that we could find another use for it after our wedding and honeymoon." She pauses and finally opens the door. "It is not the final furnishing. You can add some things or even get rid of them if you don't like it at all. And the paint on the walls is still fresh, that's why we didn't move the furniture to them for now."

Maura enters the new nursery and let her eyes travel through the room and over the new white baby crib in it, and the white small dresser with baby bottles on top of it. She finds a also white rocking chair and a floor lamp in a corner and she wonders when her wife had the chance to buy all of this and where she hid it from her, because it is only a couple of days ago as she told Jane that she want to have a child with her.

So many emotions are flooding her body and each of them are overwhelming her. As she accidentally got pregnant her ex-husband didn't make the effort to seem to be happy about it, quite on the contrary, Ben almost seemed to be relieved that she had a miscarriage. He didn't even talked with her about furnishing a nursery as the pregnancy seemed to go well, he rather buried himself in his work. That probably made her not talking about after she lost their child.

And then there is Jane, who sacrificed a well-deserved day of her weekend off to set up a room for a baby that even doesn't exist yet. And who is more then eager to welcome a new life in this world.

Panic is rising in Jane's body as her wife turns around and has tears in her eyes. She frowns and looks briefly at her mother and brother before she finds hazel eyes. "Or … or we can lock the door up and never ever talk about this. Suddenly I fee -" She is silenced by soft lips and her eyebrows shoot up high. Her body relaxes again and she pulls Maura at her hips closer.

"It's perfect," Maura whispers against the Italian's lips. "You are perfect."

"You like it?" Jane asks and wipes the tears, that had escaped from the smaller woman's eyes without permission, with her thumbs off of Maura's cheeks.

"I love it," Maura whispers and kisses Jane once more.

Surprisingly, Angela doesn't squeals or crush the two women in a tight hug as soon as she has spotted the nursery, but she listens attentively to her daughter's words with a huge smile. "Is one of you -"

"Not yet, Ma." Jane cuts her mother short without the intention of being rude and she smiles as Angela gets it. "But Maura and I were talking about having a child, and we came to the result that both of us want to have one or two. And o though that could be a nice surprise for my wife, though we haven't had the chance to start the procedure."

Angela smiles like a Cheshire cat and kisses her only daughter's cheek. "I'm so proud of you, Janie." She looks at Maura and kisses the ME's cheek as well. "Of both of you."

"What about me?" Frankie tosses in and furls his eyebrows.

The matriarch slaps playfully his arm. "You could start to think the same way like your sister and her wife. You're not getting any younger, Mister."

Frankie rolls his eyes and his shoulders slump slumping.

Maura and Jane are chuckling amused and the detective kisses the temple of her wife. That's exactly what she wanted to have today. A day of two without any threat hovering over their heads.

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Jane is sitting on the couch and sips her cold beer as she is watching the movie that Maura had chosen after Angela and Frankie had left for the night.

She chokes on her beer after a hand has crawled under her fresh shirt and giggles like a little girl as the hand starts to tickle her belly. "Would you stop that?" She laughs and squirms

Maura snickers and looks up into brown orbs. "I didn't know that you are so ticklish." She says with a devilish smile.

"I am not ticklish, I was just taken by surprise." Jane replies and arches an eyebrow when her wife drags her nails over her abs.

Maura smirks and sips her red wine. But then she turns serious again and sighs. "You bought a lot of stuff since we talked about having a child."

Jane blushes a little and shrugs, pursing her lips. "Maybe I was thinking about that a little longer and had to buy baby stuff every now and then when I saw something that I liked."

"Where did you hide it?"

"I do have friends, you know."

Maura smiles broadly and kisses the Italian's chin. "I already said it, you pretend to be rough on the outside but deep down in your heart you are as soft as butter."

Jane sighs dramatically and looks into hazel eyes. "Only if it comes to you, Maura."

Maura still let her hand roam over ripped abs and takes a deep breath. "You know, after I found out that I am pregnant I told Ben about it instantly because it wasn't planned and I was in shock. I … I don't know what happened, I was on the pill but it happened anyway."

Jane sighs heavily and pulls her wife against her, wrapping her arms tightly around Maura. She places her chin on the doctor's shoulder. "Sometimes it happens even though you use condoms or be on the pill, Maura."

The blonde rolls her eyes and places and hand over the Italian's. "I know that, Jane. I know that there is never a one hundred percent protection, but it is still a shock if you get pregnant even though you use protection." She licks her lips and turns her head a little so Jane can see her profile. "Anyway, after I told him he ... I had the feeling that wasn't really happy about it, that my pregnancy would have been an unpleasant side-effect and that he **had** to except it. He also asked me once if I am sure that I wanna keep the baby."

A deep growl rumbles from Jane's chest and she tightens her grip. "That was when the two of you had that big fight and you stayed for a couple of days at my place, right?"

Maura hesitates and nods without looking at her wife. "Yes." She sighs heavily before she continues. "He didn't make the efforts like you did today, he rather buried himself in his work instead of address a thought about the pregnancy, and I thought that he just would need some time."

"And then you had the miscarriage." Jane states.

Maura hesitates again and nods approvingly. "Yes, and Ben seemed to be relieved about that."

"And now you are afraid that I would feel the same way at some point?" Jane asks and furrows her brows.

Maura turns in the arms of her wife and looks deeply into confused, brown eyes. "On the contrary, Jane. I know that you really want it too. You showed me by furnishing a nursery for a baby that doesn't exist yet. That you are looking forward to have a family with me, a child. And that I am not alone in this."

"Because you are not, Maura." Jane says softly and caresses Maura's cheek with her hand. "We're in this together." She shrugs and furrows her eyebrows. "Though, I would **be** shocked and skeptical if you tell me that you're pregnant during breakfast. And then I would have a serious word with Frankie and Tommy."

Maura smiles broadly and kisses the detective gently. "Neither Tommy nor Frankie is gonna take me away from you, Jane. And you know it."

"Yes, I do." Jane admits and pulls the ME into another kiss. She hums and places her hands on Maura's thighs as soon as the blonde straddles her lap, deepening the kiss. She smiles proudly as Maura moans deeply and starts to roll her hips unintentionally. "Let's take this upstairs." She murmurs as she pulls away and smirks as she sees the twinkle in hazel eyes.


	10. Chapter 9

**Hey, guys. Thank you for all the kind reviews, they made my day.**

 **It's just a pretty short update before the original story is getting started again.**

 **I hope you will like it as well.**

 **Again, thank you all so much.**

 **T73.**

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Maura is watching her wife sleep and smiles because it is one of the moments when Jane seems to be totally at peace since they got into the target of a psychopath again. Well, it appears in the beginning like they are a target of another psychopath but since a couple of weeks there weren't any new scary messages or murders of people who could have been linked to Jane. And that's why all of them came to the conclusion that it was just a lunatic who wanted to have his fifteen minutes of fame. That's why the detectives and she turned their attention back to current cases, though Jane never put the murder to the cold cases, she keeps the file on her desk.

She sighs loudly and runs her hand over a toned arms smiles as the Italian shifts a little, mumbling unintentionally with a frown. She chuckles and slide down on Jane's naked body after she folded the sheet back. She still can feel Jane's body on hers as she slips her finger in and out of her when they made love last night and her body is responding already.

Jane is fast asleep when a familiar sensation is spreading in her lower abdomen and her eyes shoot open when she hears someone moan. She isn't really sure if she is angry because someone tears her from sleep or endlessly turned on because that someone is waking her up on the nicest way she can think of. "What the fuck?" She hisses as a skilled tongue works on her clit. She groans loudly and buries an hand in blond hair after she understood what indeed is happening. "Jesus, Maura." She hisses and tries to relax her body as one wave of pleasure after the other ripples through her body and her eyes are rolling in the back of her head.

Maura smiles and hums while she is pleasing her wife with slow strokes just the way Jane wouldn't mind.

The vibration makes Jane arching her back and she keeps Maura's head in place and releases it before she suffocates her wife as she falls over the edge. It doesn't take her long in the morning when she is taken by surprise, though.

She sighs as the doctor kisses her way up and smiles as she meets hazel eyes. "A very good morning to you too." She laughs as she sees the red cheeks of Maura. She hums as the blonde presses her lips to her and tastes herself. "With what did I deserve that kind of wake-up call?"

"Do I need a reason for going down on you?" Maura asks back with a sly smile.

" **Absolutely not** ," Jane says and let her hands roam over Maura's bare back. She takes a look at her alarm clock and frowns as she reads 7:40 am. "When is the appointment, Maura?"

"At ten."

" **Maura**!"

Maura rolls off of her wife and sighs heavily. "What if it didn't work?"

Jane turns on her right side and scrutinizes her wife. "Then we try again, and after that we try again. It's not like we have no opportunities, Maura." She caresses Maura's belly gently with her hand. "And something tells me that we are lucky."

Maura is running her fingers though black hair and smiles broadly. She didn't know that Jane can be so optimistic about something like that and it warms her heart.

Jane is frowning and shrugs. "And no matter what happens, I will love you, Maura. Always and forever."

Maura looks long at the detective before she burst out laughing. "That was so cheesy."

Jane joins the laughter and buries her face in the crook of the blonde's neck. "I know." She laughs.

Maura smiles broadly and caress Jane's neck with her hand. What Jane said might be cheesy, but she knows that Jane means every single word. And she never had felt so happy like she does since she is together with the Italian.

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Korsak enter he bullpen and frowns as he sees Jane staring at a picture in her hands. "Is that our new case?"

Jane blinks a couple of times and looks questioningly at him. "Huh?"

He nods at the photo in her hand. "New case?"

"New mission in our lives." Jane says and turns the ultrasound picture to him.

His jaw is hitting the floor and his eyebrows shoot up. He knew that the two were planning on expending the Rizzoli family, but he didn't thought that it would happen so fast. "Maura is -"

"Maura doesn't want to talk about it to others until the first trimester is over, but yes."

Korsak is nodding understanding and smiles a secret smile. "Congratulations," he whispers in her direction.

Jane exhales slowly through her nose and smiles. "Thanks. I know that a lot people ask you that, but would you like to become the baby's godfather?"

He looks long at her as he sits down on his chair. "Does Maura about your request?"

She blinks a couple of times and furrows her brows. "Well, uh, no. She'll kill me if she gets to know that I told anybody about her pregnancy. And we both know that she knows how to make a murder look like an accident."

He rolls his eyes with a chuckle and nods approvingly. "True. Maybe we wait and see what she thinks, huh. Maybe she wanna have Frost as the godfather."

"That is not possible." Jane retorts with a grin and he scoffs.

"What is not possible?" Frost asks as he enters the bullpen and he looks curiously at the two other detectives.

Jane slips the ultrasound picture into the top drawer of her desk and purses her lips. "Uh, that Korsak is in the age to retire."

"Watch your mouth," the older man warns Frost as he sees his eyes.

Frost smirks cheekily and sits down on his chair as Jane grunts to stifle her laugh. He rolls the sleeves of his shirt up and starts his computer. "You still have Kelly Ellison's file on your desk?"

Jane's eyes wander to the small pile of files and she takes a deep breath. "It's just a copy of it. I promised Bradley Ellison to keep it on my desk until I found the one that killed his wife."

"That's a big promise, Jane." He states and looks over the screen at her.

She nods with a slight frown. "I know, and maybe I will never be able to put the file away, but it keeps me going." She sees his skeptical gaze but she ignores it. It was never her way to put a case that she couldn't solve to the side and pretend that it never happened.

There are a lot of detective who do just that and it angers the Italian. Either you do it the right way or you don't do it at all, that's what she always has been thinking. Maybe that's why her crime solving rate is one of the best. It doesn't matter to her if she has to investigate an case that is already thirty years old or just a couple of hours, the victims are always important to her, no matter what.

She doesn't look up from her screen as she hears a familiar clicking of heels approaching her. That is the worst part of her job, the paperwork.

"You look different, Dr. Isles." Frost says and furls his eyebrows.

Maura is smiling broadly and hands Jane a folder. "I hope in a good way."

"Absolutely," he says and his eyes finds those of his partner's.

Jane arches an eyebrow and opens the folder. "Stop flirting with my wife." She says warningly and smiles as he and the ME chuckles. She takes a deep breath and furls her eyebrows. He died because of an overdose?"

"Yap," Maura agrees and put an hand on her hip. "He was a long-term user."

"So, no murder."

"Yes."

Jane closes the file again and drops it to the desk. "Great. More paperwork for me."

"You rather would be happy if he got murdered?" Maura asks with raised eyebrows.

"I'd commit a murder to avoid desk duty." Jane replies and looks up at the blonde.

Korsak and Frost chuckles amused and Maura is rolling her eyes.

Jane gets up from her chair and stretches her back. "I go and get something to eat. You guys want something?"

Korsak raises his hands and shakes his head. "I'm good."

"Me too," Frost says.

The Italian looks at her wife. "Maura?"

"I don't need anything." Maura simply answers.

Jane's eyes drops for a second to Maura's flat belly and she furrows her brows. "You sure?"

Maura gets the hint and is admonishing the detective with her gaze. "Yes, I am, Jane."

Jane's shoulders are slumping and she turns on her heels. "Fine, but don't come to me and complain that you are hungry. I offered you to get something."

Frost looks confused at the Sergeant and frowns as Korsak only shakes his head, signaling him not to ask. He scoffs and turns his attention to his very own paperwork.

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Maura looks up as a bottle of water appears in front of her and smiles as she looks into brown eyes. "Thank you." She says and accepts the drink. She sighs deeply and her eyes find Jane's once more as the Italian sits down on the couch and places her legs over her lap.

"I'm sorry," Jane whispers and takes a sip of her beer.

"For what?" Maura asks and tilts her head questioningly to the side.

Jane sighs heavily and shrugs. "For being an idiot sometimes. I know that I don't have to worry about you because you know what is best for you and the baby, but -" She shrugs again as she trails of and presses her lips to a thin line together. "I just want everything to go smoothly and maybe exaggerate some things and I don't want to seem to be totally nuts."

Maura smiles broadly and takes a swig of her water. "Jane, it is okay to be a little worried and that you want to take care of me, even though it seems a little unnecessary in that moment because I know if I am hungry or not."

"I know." Jane mumbles with a blush and frowns. She knows exactly what her wife implies and she is a little embarrassed. "I know that you're not a fattened calf."

"Or sick at all, Jane." Maura adds and sits up, straddling the Italian's hips without any ulterior motives. " **I know** that you are nervous about this whole new situation and so am I, because there are so many things that could go wrong, especially with my history. I am terrified, Jane. But a very wise woman once said to me: No matter what happens, we'll get through it."

"I would love to meet this wise woman." Jane says with raised eyebrows and smiles as she looks in hazel eyes.

Maura kisses tenderly her wife's lips and runs an hand along Jane's neck. "Don't worry to much, Jane." She whispers and leans her forehead against Jane's. "Everything is going to be fine."

Jane exhales slowly through her nose and nods approvingly. She knows that her anxiety is getting the best of her and that there is no reason for. _Maura is right_ , she thinks. _Everything is gonna be okay._


	11. Chapter 10

The next morning, the married couple arrives at the precinct after having a good breakfast.

Jane spots Susie in the lobby first and frowns, because the woman seems to be a little edgy this morning.

Maura is following her wife's eyes and furls her eyebrows as she sees her employee who seems to be waiting for her. She looks confused at the Italian before she heads for Susie. It wouldn't be the first time that something went terribly wrong downstairs and that Susie is waiting for her to prepare her for the mess. "Susie, is everything all right?"

Susie's troubled eyes are shifting from Jane to her superior and she frowns a little. "Um, I am not quite sure how to tell you this, Dr. Isles."

"Just spit it," the detective suggests and shrugs as the doctor shoots her a glare. "What?"

Susie clears her throat and swallows hard. "Well, we took inventory before the change of shift, as usual. And we -"

"You what," Jane asks as the younger woman trails off.

Susie shakes her head and starts to walk towards the staircase. "I better show you, because you won't believe me if I tell you. Even I wouldn't believe it if I hadn't seen it myself."

Jane and Maura exchanging questioningly looks and follow Susie hot on her heels. The detective is wondering what has made Susie doubting herself. There aren't so many things on this planet that could give all of them a shock. She shrugs and places an hand on the small of Maura's back. She furls her eyebrows as Susie opens the heavy metal door that leads to the storage room where the body fridge has its place. "Why are we in here?"

"That is a very good question." The doctor says with a nod.

Susie looks at the two women and opens an drawer and pulls out a female body on the gurney.

Jane shrugs again and looks unimpressed at the scientists. "Nothing shocking in there."

"The drawer is supposed to be empty." Susie says after a moment of silence.

Maura's eyebrows shoot up high. "Excuse me?"

"You have to be kidding me," Jane says out loud and a deep frown is crawling up on her forehead.

Susie glances uncertain at both of them and sighs heavily. "We checked the register over and over again and always came to the same conclusion. This body isn't supposed to be in here."

Jane closes her eyes for a moment because this doesn't make any sense to her and then she points at the dead woman. "Are you telling me that someone broke in here again and dropped off a dead woman instead of stealing another pair of shoes or drugs?"

"Yes." Susie agrees and nods.

Jane looks in disbelief at the younger woman and then at her wife. She already has seen a lot of things but something like that is new, even for her. She never has seen someone who has so much temerity to do something like that. Breaking into a forensic department is already forward, but doing so twice and dumping a body in it is inconceivable and it is worrying her immensely.

She grabs her phone from its holder and starts to type a text message to Frost. Something deep inside of her tells her that the first burglary was just test run and that whoever did this is giving them the runaround. And she doesn't like it at all. _Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me_ , she thinks and growls low and dangerously.

Maura has an shocked expression and can feel panic coming up now. She is asking herself how she is supposed to feel safe if someone broke in twice into a place with the best surveillance and that is brim-full with cops.

She licks nervously her lips and her hand finds automatically its way to her belly. She hopes that the little gesture makes Susie think that this all just gives her a queasy feeling and nothing else.

It doesn't take Frost and Korsak very long to be downstairs in the morgue and the younger detective is using the ME's computer to look through the video footage.

Jane and Korsak had helped Susie to put the dead woman onto the autopsy table and are waiting for Maura who changes into her black scrubs.

"I don't like where this is going, Jane." The older man says with a stern look. "Breaking in one time can make us think that a junkie who needs his fix, but twice … That's a challenge."

Jane is wearing a deep frown on her forehead and she is wringing her hands. She sighs heavily and nods while she is staring at the new body.

The woman is in the age of thirty. She has a fair complexion and wavy blond hair, worn long. She is a little tall, somewhat thin. And there isn't a Y-incision yet. To be honest, she can't see a injury at all.

"I don't like it either, Vince." She whispers and glances at him. "Maura doesn't need that kind of stress right now. I mean, not with her -" She caught herself as she is about to talk about Maura's miscarriage and as she realizes that Maura didn't tell anybody about it but her. She is grateful that he isn't a person who presses for more information when it comes to her.

He nods slowly and furls his eyebrows. "I make sure that Maura won't be alone at any time of the day until we catch this bastard. I promise, Jane."

"What about my mother," the Italian asks and swallows hard.

"A officer is going to escort her to the guest house after her shift." He answers and looks long into her eyes and can see the soothing effects of his words in them.

Both of them are turning their heads when the door opens.

Maura slows her steps as she sees the three detectives. "Uh, are you going to watch me the whole time?"

"Yes," the three are saying in unison.

"That is absolutely not necessary." The doctor laughs and puts on a pair of gloves, walking to the autopsy table.

"Let us size up the situation, Maura." Jane replies and crosses her arms over her chest, frowning.

Maura glances long at her wife and takes a deep breath before she starts to examine the body.

"I can't see any wound." Jane states and smiles apologetically at the ME as she scowls at her. She is aware of the fact that Maura has just started with her work and Korsak rolls his eyes with a smile.

Frost doesn't say anything and keeps his eyes on the screen, watching the footage closely. He can feel that there is something going on between the two women and that makes him work harder.

Jane takes a step closer to the table and furls her eyebrows. "She looks like she is sleeping."

Maura looks up and frowns a little. She nods approvingly and sighs heavily. She has thought the same as soon as she has seen the latest victim. She takes a closer look and comes to the same conclusion, there isn't any wound that could have caused the woman's death, until she examines the woman's left hand closely. She tilts her head to the side and furls her eyebrows. "Hmm." She simply states.

Jane straightens up and frowns deeply. "What?"

Maura doesn't look at her wife and seems to be in her very own world now. "There is a deep cut in between the thumb and the index finger. The blade of the knife has to be straight, I can't see any frazzle. The cut is deep enough to cut the radialis indicis artery."

"Is it fatal," Korsak asks and stuffs his hand in the pockets of his trouser.

Finally, Maura looks up and turns to the detectives. "It can be fatal if this kind of injury isn't treated appropriately."

Jane is sensing that something is bugging her wife and she steps closer. "What is it, Maura?"

"This is a very unusual kind of wound." Maura answers and looks thoughtfully at the Italian. "Not many people do know about those arteries and that they could cause death if there not treated."

"With not many people you mean that only people with medical knowledge could know that."

Maura is standing there and only nods.

"Now we're getting somewhere." Jane says and looks at the poor woman. "So she bled out."

"Yes," the doctor replies and takes a deep breath. "Such a death can be painful and slow. And it is obvious that she didn't die here."

"So, we're looking for a isolated place," Jane says and looks at Korsak and Frost. "That doesn't help a lot."

"How about fingerprints," Korsak asks and looks at the blonde.

Maura raises her eyebrows and sighs heavily. "You can take them after I scrapped her nails." She says and the older man nods approvingly.

Frost glances at the Italian and frowns deeply. "Jane, I got something, but it is not going to help."

The two detectives and the doctor are going to him and look at the screen of the computer.

They watch how a hooded person enters the Forensics over the ramp and how he tries to avoid most of the surveillance cameras. It appears that he knows exactly where they are and that he only get caught by them if he wants to. But they never get a clear view of his face and it feels like that he laugh them to scorn.

"Damn it." Jane growls through gritted teeth and clenches her fists. She turns away and feels deep down the urge to hit something or someone. "It's like he shows us the middle finger and laughs us in the face."

Maura can feel and understand her wife's frustration and licks her lips. She pulls of her gloves off and starts to leave the autopsy room. "Please excuse me for a minute." She says and leaves the detectives to themselves.

"Maura -" Jane says with furrowed eyebrows and wants to follow the blonde, but she stops abruptly as she feels an hand on her forearm.

"Jane, give her a minute." Frost says with concerned eyes.

Jane looks long at him and her shoulders slump. She runs an hand through her hair with a heavy sigh and is wishing that they never would have caught that damn case. Killing Daniel Powers, Kelly Ellison, throwing a poison-pen letter into their mailbox and now dumping a body under their eyes is really getting to her now. She growls dangerously and closes her eyes, counting to ten.

She knows that she can't fix everything around her and that there are times when her wife needs some time to herself and she is sure that this psychopath won't come here now and steal Maura away.

"Maybe you go and have a coffee, Jane." Korsak suggests with a shrug and he can tell that Frost does have the same opinion. "Go and get a clear head. Frost and I stay here."

Jane looks long at both of the men and nods slowly before she leaves without a word.

Korsak groans loudly and he looks down at the younger detective. His eyes are saying it all. All of them want this case to be over so their lives can be normal again.

Frost sighs heavily and leans back in his chair. "What is going on between Jane and Maura?"

"Just -" Korsak replies and is about to follow Jane. "Stay here until I fount a relay for you."

Frost takes a deep breath and jumps up from the chair as he sees Maura leaving her office." Doc, where are you going?" He asks as he pushes through the double door.

Maura rolls her eyes and licks her lips. "I am going and get some fresh air, if you don't mind."

He frowns and swallows hard. He never had been in the situation to refuse something from the ME and wife of his friend. "I, uh, I actually do mind."

Maura laughs humorlessly and raises her brows. "How do you gonna stop me from doing so, **Detective Frost**? Cuff me, locking me in my office?"

He straightens up so he seems to be taller. He is sure that Jane is going to kill him if something happens to the doctor under his watch. "Yeah, if I have to. Look, a homicidal maniac broke in here twice and the last time he dumped a body. I don't want to be responsible if anything happens to you."

Maura purses her lips defiantly. "You're only saying it because you don't wanna justify yourself in the case if really something happens."

Frost swallows his groan and he understands why Maura and Jane are perfect for each other. He raises his hands and frowns. "I am saying it because you are my friend, and I care about all of my friends."

Maura's defensive demeanor drops and she smiles weakly. "Do you wanna join me for a tea?"

"Yeah, why not," he asks and follows her. "Though I prefer a coffee."

" Of course you do." Maura counter with a smile and a roll of her eyes.

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Jane enters BRIC and looks at her brother who is sitting at desk. "Are these the fingerprints of you latest victim?"

Frankie doesn't look at her but nods. "Yap."

"Anything so far?"

"I wouldn't sit here if I would have anything."

Jane smiles and punches his shoulder. "Thanks for doing this."

"No need to thank me, sis." He replies and sips his coffee. "Maura is family and no one is threatening my family."

She nods and sits down on a free chair. She knows that he means it because they are forged in the same furnace. "Still."

He is about to reply something as his computer is beeping and both of them are looking at the big screen on the wall. He frowns and clicks the mouse. "All right, here we got something. Her name is Cheryl Brown, thirty-one. She has been charged for alcohol-impaired driving."

Jane props her elbows on her knees and furrows her eyebrows. "Run her name once more. Let's see if it pops up in any other relations."

He nods and types the name of the victim in again. It doesn't take long, though, and the computer beeps again.

Jane looks at the big screen and all color drains from her face as she gets up from her feet, her whole body is feeling numb all of a sudden. "You have to be kidding me!"

"What the hell?" Frankie says and gets up too, a deep frown on his forehead.

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"This is our Jane Doe." Jane says and slides the picture of the driver's license over the table. "Her real name is Cheryl Brown. You sure that you never have seen her before?"

Maura is looking annoyed at her wife and licks her lips. "I have never seen her before until today, Jane. Why are you asking me that?"

Jane purses her lips and looks briefly at Frost and Korsak. "Cheryl Brown was a key witness in one of Ben's trails. She had to watch how her friend Beth got raped and killed by three sophomore. They called it a fraternity pledging of the Sigma Chapter. It was the trail when you testified in one of Ben's cases for the first time."

Cognizance washes over Maura's face and she releases a long sigh. "Oh. Kathy McCartney." She breathes and Jane nods. "The defense made mincemeat of my arguments by their own experts."

"Have you ever met Cheryl Brown during the hearings?"

"I sure did, but I didn't know that she was a witness of prosecution. Ben and I … we kept avoiding to talk about work when we started to date, and we kept that rule for most of the times. I mean, we talked sketchy about work, but not in that way that I could be biased."

"You? Biased?" Jane replies and the men smile knowingly. "That could never happen. Anyway, you one hundred percent sure Cheryl never come to your house?"

Maura rolls her eyes and taps on the picture. "Ben and I barely knew each other when he caught that case, Jane. Why would he meet his witnesses at my house?"

Jane doesn't say anything but shrugs with furrowed eyebrows.

Maura's eyes went huge as realization washes through her body. "Are you suspecting me?"

" **No**!" Jane says with an high-pitched voice and frowns. "You do have the best alibi you can think of, me."

"Are you suspecting Ben again?"

Frost shakes his head. "No, Ben is at the west coast as far as we know. And I don't see a reason why we should suspect him at all."

Jane shakes her head and shrugs. "Me neither. The last time he became the focus of an investigation, his brother set him up because of Geoffrey's daddy issues. And I don't think that Geoffrey is behind all of this again, he got Tim's attention."

"But who would do all of this?" Maura asks and looks almost helplessly at the two and fear is written all over her face.

The Italian keeps the blonde's gaze and sighs heavily. She is asking herself the same and the thought of setting up Maura once more is crushing her mind. Well, there are hundreds of people in Boston whose family members or friends are in jail because of forensic evidence and her wife's testimony, and that each of them are brooding on revenge. And she is sure in her case it isn't any better. But all she wanna do right now is to engulf the doctor in a hug and to tell her that it'll be all right again, and that nothing is gonna happen to any of them. She starts to shake her head again. "I don't know, Maura, but we're gonna find out."

"I can't stay all the time up here," Maura states and looks at Frost and Jane. "I have work to do and so do you."

"We don't think that the killer is breaking in in the middle of the day." Frost says and his face is beyond concern. He takes a deep breath and raises his eyebrows. "A d when you leave your office for the night one of us is driving you home."

Maura's shoulders slump and she licks annoyed her lips. She didn't think that she would have limited freedom of action after all she already went through and she knows that it would be more than unreasonable to blame her wife for that, but right now no one else volunteer for being the scapegoat.

Jane can see the disapproval in hazel eyes and she takes Maura's hand in her own, squeezing it. If she has to be reason for her wife's anger now, so it be, she can handle it. "It's for your own safety, Maura. And don't bite Frost's head off, it was my idea."

The younger man is about to protest because each of them decided that this would be the best way, but he stops himself as he catches her eyes who tell him that he better shut up because she can survive Maura's tantrum when she comes home. He points with his thumb over his shoulder and frowns. "I, um, I give you girls a minute."

"Thanks," the Italian sighs.

Maura is waiting until they are alone in the conference room and closes her eyes for a brief second. "I know that it wasn't only your decision, Jane. And that your trying to keep me safe."

"That's my job, Maura." Jane replies and looks with raised eyebrows at the ME. "It is my job to keep you and our baby safe."

"And what about you," Maura asks and she notices the confused look in her very own detective. "Who is gonna keeping you safe, Jane?"

Jane whole body language is changing and her eyes soften. "Maura -"

The blonde blinks the tears in her eyes back and gets up from the chair. "I have to go back downstairs. I am waiting for Cheryl Brown's tox screen."

Jane is up to her feet in no time and wants to follow her wife. "Maura, wait." She begs but the other woman simply ignores her and leaves the conference room without looking back.

She is standing dumbfounded there and her eyes are as big as saucers as she watches Maura leave. She clenches her fists and growls through gritted teeth. Whoever is turning their lives currently upside down, she's gonna rip him a new one after they catch him. She runs her hands over her face and releases an angry sigh.

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It is already late when Jane pulls up in the driveway and kills the engine. She is taking a moment and stares at the illuminated house, she has spotted Frost's car at curb and is sure that he is sitting on the couch and watches TV while he waits for her to get home. Frankie and Korsak came back to the station and told her that Cheryl Brown is another dead end, her husband couldn't see any reason why she had been killed because Ben and Cheryl broke the contact shortly after the sentence.

She takes a deep breath and grabs her jacket and black leather briefcase from the passenger's seat and gets out of her car. She isn't quite sure why exactly she needs a briefcase, but her wife insisted that this would be more 'elegant' than a simple plastic bag. And one day she found a brand new briefcase that was waiting for on the kitchen island. She has learned early that it would be useless to argue with Dr. Maura Isles about what is superfluously even though it is more 'elegant'. It is a waste of time because it is a lost battle.

She groans and unlocks the front door of the house, throwing her keys in a bowl. "Where is she?" She asks and drops the briefcase on the small desk behind the couch.

Frost gets up to his feet and is holding a bottle of beer in his hand. "Upstairs, she said she's gonna take a bath. I thought that it would be inappropriate to follow her and wait in front of the bathroom door." He smirks as he sees his partner's small smile. "What did Korsak and Frankie find out?"

"That it was a total waste of time to drive all the way to Roslindale." Jane says with a sigh and walks to the fridge, taking two cans of soda out of it. "Her husband told them that Cheryl and Ben didn't stay in touch after the sentence and that he didn't report her as missing because she stayed with a friend for a couple of days."

Frost gets the hint and gathers his belongings. "So, another dead end." He states and walks towards the front door.

"Yep," she agrees and follows him.

"Shit."

She looks long at him as he steps into the night and frowns. "Thanks for bringing her home, Frost."

He nods and shrugs. "Any time. See you tomorrow at work."

She smiles and nods. "Yeah, be safe." She says before she closes the door and locks it. She closes her eyes and glances at the ceiling before she is heading upstairs. She knows that her wife is flabbergasted because of the whole situation and that she is focusing her anger on her.

Jane doesn't bother to knock on the bathroom door and enters the room, frowning. She sees Maura sitting in the tub and suspects that the blonde has her eyes closed because she is not turning her head to look at her. She takes a deep breath and walks to her, placing the cool metal of can in the crook of Maura's neck.

The doctor jumps a little and drags her eyes open, looking into Jane's amused face. "Hi."

Jane smirks wryly and sits down on the edge. "Hi."

The doctor opens the can and takes a swig out of it. "Do you wanna join me?"

Jane is only rolling the item between her hands and shakes her head. She isn't quite sure how to tell her wife that they still got nothing. "Nah, you enjoy the bath and I watch you." She pauses as the words leaves her mouth and looks at a smiling Maura. "And that just sounded wrong."

Maura laughs amused and slips her hand into Jane's to prevent her from rolling the can all over again. "You know, **you** can drink alcohol, Jane."

Jane is looking at their linked hands and purses her lips. "That seems to me wrong. Why should I drink beer if you can't have your wine?"

Maura smiles sweetly and tugs on her wife's hand. "It's okay to have a beer or two when you come home, Jane."

"Thank you, but I am not in the mood tonight." The detective replies and her eyes are finding Maura's.

The doctor recognizes the gaze and releases a heavy sigh. "Another dead end."

Jane swallows the lump in her throat down and nods. She can feel the atmosphere shifting and frowns. "Maura, I am doing everything I can."

Maura doesn't look at her anymore and licks her lips with a nod. "I know."

Jane suppress a low growl and gets up from the tub. She pulls her shirt over her head and tosses it into the hamper. "I am going to take a shower and then I am going to bed." She says and unbuckle a angrily her belt. She can feel the stare of Maura on her back and steps out of her pants. She clenches her teeth as she gets out of the rest of her clothes and steps into the shower stall. She isn't really sure why she suddenly feels angry, or because of whom, but she slams her left fist into the wall after she turned on the water and leans with her forehead against the cool tile. What she couldn't see is that Maura is jumping in the tub with an aghast face.


	12. Chapter 11

**This is just a short note! I hope that you not gonna hate me for what I have planned in this chapter! And thanks for reviewing! And I am sorry for posting this chapter and posting it again with some addition. I hope you like it anyway.**

 **Enjoy.**

 **T73.**

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Jane is this time the last who comes to bed and frowns as the blonde turns her to her, not knowing what is wrong. Since she stepped into the shower before she could lose her temper with no real reason, they haven't exchanged a word anymore and the detective has taken more time in the shower then usual to loosen her tense muscles in her body.

She sighs heavily and folds back the blanket, laying down on her side of the mattress. She studies the back of Maura's head and furrows her brows, she can understand that her wife isn't quite in the mood of talking after venting her spleen on Maura. Her wife is the last person who is responsible for her frustration.

Jane isn't even sure if Maura wants to get touched by her. _Nothing ventured, nothing gained_ , she thinks to herself and skids closer to the smaller woman, wrapping her left arm around Maura's middle. She relieved that Maura's body doesn't tense up or that the doctor push the arm away, and she nestle her nose in the crook of her wife's neck. "I am sorry," she whispers and kisses bare skin gently. "I was being an ass."

Maura places an hand over the Italian's arm, but she doesn't turn to look at Jane. "Presently I am not the easiest person, either." She says back and closes her eyes as Jane's hand start to caress her belly.

Jane scoffs and shrugs. "Maura, you are pregnant. Pregnant women doesn't have to be easy, or reasonable. Pregnant women have to -" She trails off and searches for the right words without offending the doctor. "Iffy."

Maura turns her head and furls her eyebrows. "I am not iffy."

The detective chuckles and props herself up on her elbow. "Of course you're not." She says with a smile and kisses the corner of Maura's mouth. "I love you, Maura, from the bottom of my heart."

Finally, Maura is turning on her back and she meets kind, soft, brown eyes and heaves a sigh. "I love you too." She says with soft voice.

Jane lowers her head but then she stops uncertainly. "Can I?" She asks and looking into hazel eyes, searching for permission.

Maura smiles softly and runs her fingers through unruly hair. "Of course you can."

A smile is tugging on the detective's lips and she closes the last gap of their lips. She sighs in relief as the blonde kisses her back instantly and because of the warmth that is spreading through her body.

She had been kissing a lot of women in her time as an adult, but it never had felt like kissing Maura. She is shifting her body so she is on top of the blonde and deepens the kiss.

Maura hums and let her hands wander under the hem of Jane's shirt, but then she pulls away as she feels an hand caressing the inside of her thigh. "I am exhausted." She whispers as she sees the desire in the detective's eye.

Jane is staring blankly at Maura and blinks a couple of times until she understands and drops her head to the doctor's shoulder with a groan. Maura had warned her about this, but she couldn't imagine this would really go for a insatiable Dr. Maura Isles. "Why me?" She whines into Maura's shoulder.

"I am sorry, honey." Maura replies with a smile and let her hands roam over Jane's back.

Jane lifts her head and furrows her brows as she sees the tinkle in hazel eyes. "Don't you dare, Maura."

"But I told you that this could happen." Maura says with a gleeful smile.

" **No**!" The detective whines louder this time and buries her head in Maura's shoulder, and her wife laughs heartily.

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Frost looks up and furls his brows as he sees Jane and thrusts his chin at her hand. "What happened?"

Korsak hears the question and turns to the Italian, his jaw is dropping to the floor.

Jane eyes her purple knuckles and shakes her hand. "I slipped and fell in the shower."

"You slipped and fell against a wall with your fist ahead," the older man asks skeptically and sips his coffee.

She stares blankly at him and is wishing that he wouldn't know her that well. "Shit happens." She counter and sits down on her chair. "Can we focus on the case now?"

"Sure." Frost answers with a smile.

Jane nods at him. "Thank you. Let's put one and one together. Our perp killed three people that we know of. Did you run NCIC, Frost?"

"I did." He answers with a nod and leans back in his chair. "But there was nothing that is similar to our cases in the database. It looks like we have to deal with a original."

"That doesn't make it any better." Jane huffs and looks at the board with furled eyebrows.

"Well, he likes to take his time with his victims, except Kelly." Korsak states and walks to his desk. "He shot Kelly Ellison in her car in the head and wasn't even worried about the time of the day."

"Which means that he have an nondescript face." She says and holds the drawing of the forensic artist up that shows that the killer could be Frankie as well, sighing.

"He tortured Daniel and Cheryl. He drugged Daniel up to the eyeballs with Diazepam and then he dislocated Daniel's joints and drove something through his wrists. And he let Cheryl bleed to death. He takes his time with them."

Jane is looking questioningly at the two men and gets up from her chair. "That means that he has a lot that doesn't raise any suspicions, probably abandoned. But what is connecting Daniel Powers and Cheryl Brown? And why shooting Kelly on her way?"

"Daniel was a homeless drug dealer and Cheryl was a successful manager of a restaurant. They have absolutely nothing in common."

Jane furls her eyebrows again and tilts her head thoughtfully to the side as she studies the crime scene photos and those from the autopsy. "Dislocated joints and cut arteries, and a fatal shot to the head." She mumbles and the two men exchange a questioningly look. "Maura said that only a person with medical knowledge could let a person bleed out the way Cheryl did." She turns her head to Frost . "Frost, check our victims medical records and see if they had a treatment in the same hospital."

Frost nods and starts to type on his keyboard. His eyebrows shoot up and he looks amazed at the Italian . "That's what I call a bingo. All three were treated in Mass Gen. A broken elbow, ruptured appendix and a mild ."

"All of those things get treated in the ER." Korsak says and looks at Jane. "That's what I call a good thinking."

Jane smirks like an idiot and makes an curtsy before she looks back at Frost. "Were they treated by the same emergency doctor?"

Frost looks back and the sight of triumph vanishes instantly. "No."

Jane is furrowing her brows and she starts to rub her hands slowly, but then she starts to head out of the bullpen. "I need to consult my very own doctor."

"I wonder who that doctor is," Frosts says with a smile and gets up from his chair.

Korsak chuckles and follows the two hot on their heels.

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"Maura, you do have an MD, right," Jane asks as she bursts into her wife's office and frowns as the blonde almost chokes on a piece of apple. "You okay?"

Maura is coughing hardly and holds an hand up. "Give me a sec."

Jane lowers her eyebrows and scratch the back of her neck. "Sorry."

The blonde clears her throat and frowns slightly. "Yes, I still have an MD. Why do you ask, Jane?"

"That means that you practiced on living people before you became a Medical Examiner."

"Yes. I practiced on living people as well, but I don't know what you're implying."

"Daniel Powers and Cheryl Brown, could that be a kind of bloodletting?" Jane asks and frowns. "You said that only a person with medical knowledge could treat them like that. Is it possible that a doctor is responsible for all of this?"

"Oh," Maura breathes and leans back in her chair. Cops and physicians do have one think in common: they don't calumniate each other. She frowns and starts to twist her wedding band. " **Oh**."

Jane is frowning deeply and watches her wife closely. She knows that there is a code of honor in the medical field just like cops sadly do have the blue shield. That doesn't mean that she likes it at all. "Do you know who could have committed those crimes?"

Maura is walking up and down and frowns deeply. "I can assure you that I have absolutely no idea, Jane. But -"

"It can be possible that a physician did commit those murder," Frost adds and frowns.

The doctor takes a deep breath and nods. "Yes."

Jane is shifting her weight from foot to the other and looks long at her wife. "Can you tell what kind of motivation a physician could have to do so? Torture people."

"Do you really need an motivation?" Frankie whispers through clenched teeth.

"Ssh," Jane whispers back but doesn't look at her brother.

Maura looks at the container with slices of apple and closes the lid, licking her lips. "Whoever killed those people could have a lot of motivations, Jane. It's hard to tell what he is thinking. I can't read minds."

"You sure about that," Jane asks with a sly smile and Korsak scoffs.

Maura rolls her eyes with a smile and walks to the sideboard to get herself a bottle of water. "Killing people the way the perpetrator did could have psychological aspects. He maybe thinks that his victim's didn't earn their existence and the world is better without them because they did something that didn't go confirm with his ideology."

"So he killed three people just because they were jaywalkers." Jane states and looks at the other detectives with raised eyebrows. "I hate jaywalkers too but that doesn't mean that I shoot 'em."

Korsak nods approvingly with a small smile. "So definitely a psychopath."

"Oh," Maura says and turns to them, taking a swig from the bottle "You also have to take into account that a lot physicians are pathological narcissists."

Jane narrows her eyes as she glance long at the ME. "You do this purposely, don't you?"

"What do you mean," Maura asks innocently back.

"A narcissistic psychopath? Do you wanna drive me nuts?"

Frankie's shoulders starts shaking as he stifles his laugh and Frost presses his lips together as he drops his eyes to his shoes.

"You were asking for my opinion and I just gave you the facts," Maura laughs amused and shrugs as she sees the roll of Jane's eyes.

"Thank you, Dr. Smarty-pants." Jane replies and raises her eyebrows as the blonde is looking scandalized at her, but she can't help the smile that is tugging on her lips. She takes a deep breath and pats Frost's shoulder. "Come on, guys. We have a lot work to do."

Maura is smiling from ear to ear as she watches the detectives leave her office again. She is glad that she and Jane are good again. She is aware of the fact that there can be differences at some point and that it can lead to an argumentation with her wife, but that doesn't have to mean that she is looking forward to it.

She takes a deep breath and walks back to her desk, sitting down on her chair. Then she opens the container again and takes a slice of apple, finally biting into it. She eyes the piece of fruit and shrugs. She jumps a little as the head of her wife reappears in the door and almost chokes on the snack again.

"I have forgotten to tell you something," the detective says and smiles as the blonde tilts questioningly her head to the side. "I love you."

Maura smiles like a love-stricken school girl and blushes a little. "I love you too, Jane." She laughs as her wife winks at her and disappears again, shaking her head.

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Jane joins Frost at the coffeemaker in the bullpen and scrutinizes his profile for a while. She can see that he occupy himself with something else than the case and she comes to the conclusion that it has to do with his long-term girlfriend Colleen Prentice. She likes her, though. Colleen is smart, funny, attractive and good for him.

She bumps his shoulder with hers and looks concerned at him as he turns his head. "What's wrong?"

He scoffs and runs his fingertips over his forehead as he puts the coffee decanter back to its place. "It's … nothing." He says and walks back to his desk.

She always had the opinion that he is a lousy liar and follows him, sitting down on the edge of his desk. "Are you and Colleen alright?"

He purses his lips and nods as he rolls the sleeves of his shirt up. "Yeah, we're fine."

Jane's shoulders slump and she tries to catch his eyes. "Come on, Frost, talk to me. Something is bothering you. And it has nothing to do with the case."

He exhales slowly through his mouth and leans back in his chair, wringing his hands. "Promise me not to freak out."

She nods approvingly and looks expectantly at him. "Okay."

He hesitates anyway. "Three days ago, Cavanaugh offered me an job as Lieutenant."

Jane's eyes went huge and she smiles from ear to ear, punching his shoulder. "Frost, that's great!"

"In San Francisco." He adds.

Her smile dies instantly and a deep frown crawls onto her forehead. "That's … far." She sighs and licks her lips. "What did Colleen say about it."

"She was delighted and said that it wouldn't be a problem for her to get transferred to San Francisco as well." Frost says and waits for the Italian's outburst. "And it would be a great opportunity for me. I mean, Korsak is about to get promoted to a Lieutenant, and you to a Sergeant. It would take me another ten years to vet this chance."

"So you taking this chance," Jane asks and her heart constricts. It's not that she grudge him this promotion, but somehow she feels like she is going her very own protégé. She still can see how he is standing at a bush and heaves his guts up. But she also knows that sometimes you have let someone go so the person can seize a incredible chance.

"I'm thinking about it." He says and sighs. "It's a chance that I only get once in my life, Jane."

She nods approvingly and smiles a little, patting his shoulder. "You should take the job, you've earned it. Really."

"You wouldn't be mad?"

"Why should I be mad?"

"Because that means that I'd have to move to San Francisco."

Jane scoffs and gets up to her feet. "You know, we do have things like cell phones and Skype. And a smart person also has invented something we call airplane. I am not mad at you, on the contrary. I am proud of you, Frost."

He smiles broadly at her and sips his coffee. "Thanks, Jane."

She nods again and flops down on her chair. "When are they telling Cavanaugh your decision?"

He licks his lips and sighs again. "I asked him to give me time until we solved this case."

The Italian smiles and sips her own coffee. She already knows how he is gonna deciding, she can see it in his eyes. And somehow she can be proud of herself because his promotion means that she trained him well, and it is a great house advertising. He might move to San Francisco, but that's not at the other end of the world.

Frankie enters the bullpen and stops dead as he senses the tense atmosphere, frowning. "What's going on?"

Jane looks at her brother and clears her throat. "Um, nothing." She thrusts her chin at his notepad in his hand. "What is this?"

Frankie smirks and walks to her desk, passing his notepad. "I called Mass Gen and asked them about any information about our victims. Of course the hospital told me that they can't tell much because of the medical confidentiality, so I asked them who gave them the follow-up treatment and they gave me this name."

Jane looks down at the name with furled eyebrows. "He treated all three after they got released?"

"Yup," Frankie says with a proud smile.

Jane smirks wryly and passes the notepad to Frost. There she has the next example for training someone well. "Good job, Frankie. Frost can you run his name?"

"Sure thing," he says and is already typing on his keyboard. It doesn't take long until he get his information, turning his screen. "Got him."

Jane is reading what the younger detective has found and raises her eyebrows high. "Dr. Robert Norbeck, general practitioner. DWI, sexual harassment at work and a malpractice litigation, twice." She looks at the two men." And he still has his approbation?"

Frost shrugs with a nod. "He does have a great legal team."

Jane gets up to her feet and grabs her jacket from the back of her chair. "I would love to have a chat with Mr. Nice Guy."

Frost is grinning and is doing the same like his partner. "It can be refreshing." He simply says.

Frankie drops his arms to his sides and huffs. "No need to thank me."

"Thanks, Frankie." Jane says louder before she rounds the corner and Frost chuckles.

Frankie is grinning and rolls his eyes before he drops his notepad on his desk. "You're welcome."

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Finding Dr. Robert Norbeck in a hospital like Mass Gen was quite a challenge but that doesn't mean that Jane and Frost can't manage it.

Robert Norbeck is standing at a nurses' station and seems to bite a poor woman's head off.

He has a fair complexion, straight blond hair combed back, and dark brown eyes. He is very tall , of average weight, and is wearing blue scrubs.

Jane glances briefly at Frost and arches an eyebrow as Norbeck's high voice booms through the hallway. His voice doesn't fig to his outward appearance at all. She clears her throat and pulls her jacket to the side to reveal the golden badge on her belt as he turns to them.

He looks at her with disregarding eyes and furls his eyebrows. "Can I help you?"

"Dr. Norbeck?" She asks and holds his gaze.

He starts to walk and grunts. "Yes?"

Jane looks in disbelief at Frost and furls her eyebrows, following Norbeck. "I am Detective Jane Rizzoli and this is Detective Barry Frost. Boston Homicide. We would like to ask you some questions."

"Homicide?" The doctor says but doesn't look at the detectives. "Did someone finally kill the bitch that calls herself my ex-wife?"

Frost is clicking with his tongue and shakes his head. "I'm don't think so, unless her name is Kelly Ellison or Cheryl Brown."

Norbeck stops abruptly and looks confused at him, frowning. "Who?"

Jane's face doesn't give her away and she takes the photos of Kelly and Cheryl out of a folder, holding them up. "Do you know them?"

Norbeck snarls and crosses his arms over his chest. "Should I?"

Frost steps a little closer to the arrogant man and nods. "You should. You gave them a follow-up treatment after their hospital stay."

Norbeck snorts and chuckles humorless. "I give hundreds of patients in a year a follow-up treatment after their hospital stay. I can't remember them all, Detective. And faces say nothing to me. It can be that I met them."

"Oh, you met them." Jane states and furrows her brows. She takes out the photo of Daniel and frowns. "Just like Daniel Powers."

The smug look is wiped off of Norbeck's face and he runs his tongue over his teeth. Something seems to stir in him as he looks into Daniel's face and he swallows hard.

Jane knows that kind of reaction and purses her lips as she put the photos back into the folder. "What did he got for you? MDMA? Special K? Orange haze?"

Norbeck traces his bottom lip with his thumb and he looks up and down the empty hallway. "Listen, I am going to lose my approbation if the hospital get to know about that. It'll ruin my life's work."

"Oh," Jane says and shakes her head with a huff. "You're going to lose your approbation, Doctor. I can assure you that. Do you really think that we are not reporting this. Your said it yourself, hundreds of lives depends on you."

"I know that you can't understand it, Detective Rizzoli. But I work seventy-two hours shifts. I need morale booster." He says with a hushed voice and shrugs.

Jane laughs sarcastically for a second and sobers again. "I know that the medical profession can be distressing, my wife is a doctor too. But she doesn't need … **morale booster** like you."

Norbeck's expression went blank and he swallows hard. "I -"

"Is that why you killed Kelly Ellison and Cheryl Brown," Jane asks and steps closer. "Because they knew about your … **little secret**? Being a druggie doesn't look good in a résumé."

"What?" Norbeck squeaks and steps back. "Killed? I have killed no one! I already said it, I don't recognize these two women. I might have a drug problem, but that wouldn't make me kill anyone."

"Then you can tell us where you have been the weekend at May 14th?" Frost states and pierces him with his gaze.

Norbeck points with his index finger right down on the gray linoleum of the hospital floor. "Right here. You can ask around. I have a lot of people who can confirm that. I work every weekend for half a year."

"We sure check that," Jane replies and clench her teeth.

"Can I go back to work?"

"For now."

Norbeck huffs once more and hurries away from the detectives.

"What do you think?" Frost asks and looks after the doctor.

Jane sighs heavily and furls her eyebrows. "We keep him in mind. But I am not sure that he really is our guy."

Frost sighs as well and he frowns deeply. "I don't like him."

"Me neither. I don't think that there are many people who can bear with him."

"Why? Because he is calling his ex-wife lovingly bitch?"

Jane scoffs and turns on her heels without commenting that.

Frost smiles amused and follows her.

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Maura rounds the kitchen island and hands her wife a open bottle of beer and slides a plate full of pasta to Jane. She has noticed that Jane was unusual quiet since she came home. "Jane, what's wrong?"

The Italian looks up from the plate and frowns, blinking. "Huh?"

Maura is bracing herself on the counter. "You barely spoke a word since you came home, honey. What is bothering you?"

Jane takes a deep breath and smiles a sad smile. "Frost gets the chance to become Lieutenant."

"But that's great."

"In San Francisco."

The doctor starts to understand and frowns a little. "Oh!"

Jane drops her fork and shrugs. "It's a great chance for him. And I'll shoot him myself if he refuse to accept this chance."

Maura walks to the Italian and steps in between Jane's legs as she turns the chair. "But?"

Jane wraps her arms around the ME's middle and shrugs as she looks at Maura's belly. "Everything changes, Maura. We're getting parents, Frost is leaving -"

"But you don't like changes, like you don't like surprises." Maura says and runs her fingers through the Italian's hair. "Sometimes changes can be a good thing, Jane. Frost gets the chance to prove himself after he had great teachers named Vince Korsak and Jane Rizzoli. You can be proud of him."

"I am," Jane says and looks up with a frown. "I am proud of him, but he is my friend."

"I know." Maura says and bends her head, kissing her wife gently. "It'll be okay."

Jane sighs heavily and kisses the small baby bump of her wife. She freezes as soon as realization sets in and looks up with an almost painful gaze. "How could I miss that?"

"You're investing a triple homicide," Maura says as she smiles like a Cheshire cat. "And it is only the 9th week."

Jane is grinning like an idiot. "If it does have just a little of a Rizzoli the baby is clinging to your uterus and don't let go until it has to, or is forced to."

Maura chuckles and kisses the detective once more and runs her hands down Jane's neck. "Eat your dinner before it gets cold."

Jane makes a pouty face and turns back to her food. "Yes, Ma'am."

Maura chuckles and watches the detective. She is hoping that their child is must like Jane, she doesn't want to have it any other way.

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Jane is stomping down the stairs and sighs, brushing back her hair. She isn't sure why she doesn't have a glass of water on her nightstand because she has the bad habit to wake up in the middle of the night, thirsty.

She yawns in a good manner and finds her way to the fridge because she knows the way by heart. Opening the door of the device and looking at the contents. She grabs a bottle of water and a fried chicken leg that is a left-over from her mother. She sighs loudly and frowns, she always thought that this part of a pregnancy would be the hardest part for the woman who is actually pregnant, but she learned early that she starts to eat because the lack of sex.

She cracks her neck and frowns slightly as she catches a glimpse in the corner of her eye, a single movement that set off all bells in her head. She throws the chicken leg into the sink and curses herself for leaving her gun upstairs in the gun locker. She stands on her tiptoes and scans the backyard as good as she can in the middle of the night.

She twists around as soon as she hears a rattle at the front door and her eyes looks up to the ceiling, hoping that her wife doesn't wake up too, but in the same time she is more than glad that Maura had agreed to a deadlock. She snorts as she walks to the front door and prefers her body for a good fight, she thinks that this might all it takes to stop this bastard. It can get ugly, it can get painful, it can get deadly. But coming to her home twice to spook them also can be a great mistake, especially if she is in full protection-mood.

Jane cracks her neck and unlocks the door even though everything screams at her not to do so, that she makes it easy for the intruder, and perhaps that's what she wants to do. She feels bad because of using her family as a bait, but Maura surely wouldn't approve it not to mention her own mother.

She opens the door and gets greeted by the cool air of the night. She makes two steps out of the door and her body relaxes as she can't see any threat. That's why the impact takes all her breath away as someone tackles her to the ground.

She gasps as her body hits the ground full force and she needs a second to become aware of the situation. She instinctively raises her arms to cover her side from the punches in her side. She groans and three of four of her crosses hits straight her offender's cheek. She can hear the creak as his jaw breaks.

She sets a few uppercuts to his torso and is sure that he is done because he groans in pain. But then he starts his counterattack. He rams his fist into Jane's liver like a jackhammer and he detective howls in pain, knowing that this fight can mean anything. She looks up to memorize the face of the man and is met with dead brown eyes and someone who wears a face mask. She screams on top of her lungs uses the person as her personal punching bag. " **You don't get my family**!" She tells.

The next thing she is remembering is that Maura shakes her and that her wife is sitting her up. "I'm fine ." She slur.

Maura is crying thick tears and shakes her head. She woke up as she heart the grunts and painful screams, that most likely kept the person from killing her wife. "No, you are not."

Jane sees the red color on her wife's hands and panic grips her heart tightly. "Are you bleeding?"

Maura stars to sob and kisses her wife long but gentle on her lips. "No, I am not. You have a cut at the back of head."

"Yeah, nothing big," Jane groans and sits up with the help of Maura. "What happened?"

"You tell me."

"I protected you, both of you."

"At any cost?"

Jane is looking long at the blonde. She has a do-or-die attitude, always had have. "Yes. To keep the two of you safe."

Maura opens her mouth to say something as the ambulance arrives at their house . She starts to sob as she looks into Jane's face that doesn't give away any emotional reaction, that's why she finds shelter in Angela's arms and sobs.

"It's gonna be all right," Angela whispers and preys that she is right.


	13. Chapter 12

Korsak is standing in the middle of his friends living room and sees that the inside of the house is untouched. It looks like he remembers it, like the last time he was in it. He was out of his bed as soon as Angela had called and told him that Jane was attacked and beaten up by a unknown person. He drove to Beacon Hill with lights and sirens switched on because he feared the worst.

He heaved a sigh of relief as he spotted the stubborn Italian sitting on the porch and refused to go to a hospital, especially not to Mass Gen. She tried to convince them that she is fine, but winced every time she had to turn her head. That made him calling an ambulance while she tried to put him off doing so, and that made him ordering her to go to Beth Israel. Jane had made a pouty face but she agreed to that, to Maura's delight.

He is sure that Jane is going to spend a couple of days in hospital and that's where he is stopping next after they are done here. He sighs heavily and looks at Frost when he comes through the front door. "That son of a bitch is getting on my nerves. Breaking in in Forensics, assaulting an police officer. We desperately need to bring him down before the situation is escalating."

Frost nods approvingly and takes a deep breath. All of them already has seen of what the perp is capable to do. "CSRU is collecting everything they can find on the outside. Anything in here?"

The older man shakes his head and put his notepad back in the inside pocket of his jacket. "Nothing." They turn their attention to the front door as they hear a familiar voice.

Maura enters the house and doesn't look so delighted anymore as a badly bruised Italian follows her hot on her heels. "Jane, you should have stayed in hospital you could have a concussion, or worse."

"I don't need to stay in a damn hospital," Maura and makes a face as she makes a wrong step. "I am fine alright. It's just bruised ribs and a cut at the back of the head. If I need medical attention, I have my doctor right here. I am not gonna drop dead. You know -" She trails off as soon as she spots Korsak and Frost and flops down on the couch. "Ow! Hey, guys."

"You look like you had a little a get-together with Floyd Mayweather." Frost states with a hint of a smile.

She shifts in her seat and groans, suppressing the urge to frown. "And feel like I ran into Mike Tyson. You should see the other guy. I think I broke his jaw."

Frost chuckles and shakes his head.

Korsak, on the other hand, isn't so amused about her statement and furls his brows. "Jane, why aren't you in hospital?"

Jane accepts the bottle of water that her wife is offering her and holds her breath until the searing pain in her side is gone. "Vince, I am fine, really. It is nothing too bad. A day at home and I am back on my feet."

"You stay at home for the rest of the week."

"You can't be serious."

"Do you see me smile?"

Jane is looking long at him and then at her concerned wife, nodding slowly. "Fine."

He takes a deep breath and sits down on a armchair. "What do you remember?"

The Italian runs her fingers over her forehead and glances at the blonde as Maura sits down next to her, taking Maura's hand in her own. "Something woke me up, I don't know what. I thought that it was my thirst and I went downstairs because I wanted to get some water. I had a strange feeling, though, like someone was watching me, but I didn't pay it too much thought and ate a chicken leg. But then something caught my attention." She pauses and closes her eyes. "A shadow at a window, that's why I went outside. I wanted to check what or who that was, I knew I should go up and get my gun but I didn't want to wake Maura, and as soon as I opened the front door I was tackled down and I started to fight for my life. I know that he has to be seriously beaten up too. You should check the ERs."

"Could you see his face," Frost asks and types a message for Frankie that he should do exactly what his partner has suggested.

Jane closes her eyes to recall the memory and shakes her head. She can see the moderate barrier medical face mask and the dead blue eyes. "No." She says. "No, he was wearing one of those masks that surgeons do, and he was wearing a black hoodie. The only thing I could see was his blue eyes and his red hair as we fought."

"So he is a white man," Korsak states and she nods again.

"Robert Norbeck is white, but he does have blond hair and brown eyes." Frost says with a frown. "That means we can rule him out."

"Definitely." Jane agrees and looks at him.

Korsak let the information sink in and runs an hand over his beard. "Was your offender tall, small? Thick or thin?"

Jane starts to worry her bottom lip and swallows hard. Her brain is trained to memorize every single detail of people she crosses paths with, but being the one who is attacked makes it hard, the will to survive sets in and everything happens on autopilot. "He was somewhat athletic, but he wasn't much taller than me. Maybe 6'0", 6'1" tops."

"You noticed more than you're aware of." Maura says and squeezes the Italian's hand. "You should see an forensic artist."

"And how should that help," Jane asks and furls her eyebrows, flinching.

"Maura is right." Korsak says and looks at the two women. "It would be better then nothing and we would have something that we could give to the media."

Jane looks at the three and then she nods slowly. "Okay." She looks at the doctor and smiles at her. "I just want this to be over."

Maura takes a deep breath and smiles weakly. Her wife just had said out loud what she is thinking.

"Have you noticed something, Maura?" Korsak asks and meets hazel eyes.

She licks her lips and shakes her head. "No, I haven't noticed anything until I came downstairs. I woke up as I heard strange sounds from outside the house and saw that Jane wasn't in bed anymore. I heard Jane yelling and went down to check on her and found the front door wide open. I could hear struggling with someone and I knew that she was in danger. I was afraid that she -" She trails off and blinks back her tears, sniffling. "I mean, Jane is my wife. How am I supposed not to be worried that something serious is happening?"

Jane's eyes drop to her lap and clenches her teeth. The headache is minor in that moment.

Frost gives both of them a second and frowns. "That's why you went outside as well?"

Jane's eyes flies up and find Maura's furrowing her brows. She can't remember that part. She remembers coming around again and looking at her wife whose hands were covered in blood. And that she thought in that particular moment that Maura had another miscarriage.

Maura is holding the gaze of her wife and her chins starts to tremble. "Yes," she whispers with a shaking voice. "I saw him sitting on Jane and smashing Jane's head to the ground. The only thing I could think off was that she is gone, because the ground was covered with blood." She wipes an tear off her cheek and takes a second. "I screamed on top of my lungs and I think that's what startled him, because he ran off."

"Did you see in which direction he ran?"

"I didn't pay any attention to that. I am sorry."

Korsak shakes his head and frowns. "No, it's okay, Maura. It is perfectly fine that you were focused on your wife. From now on, there will be a patrol car outside 24/7." He can see that Jane is about to protest and holds an hand up. "And this is not to discuss."

Jana shuts her mouth again and rolls her eyes, regretting it immediately.

"And I am going to call a friend who owes me a favor." Frost adds with a frown. "He's going to install surveillance cameras in the in and outside of the house."

"The bedroom is our sanctuary," Jane says with a smile. "You're not gonna see and learn." She flinches as her wife slaps her sore thigh. " **Ow**! Careful Dr. Isles."

Maura is about to apologize, but then she decides to do not so as she sees the playful smile of the Italian.

Korsak clears his throat so he can stay serious as he gets up from the armchair. "We'll go and interview your neighbors, and then we head back to the station."

"Don't wait for me," Jane says loud and groans as she allows the pain invade her body. "I'll be there in a couple of hours and give the forensic artist my description."

Korsak nods and raises his hand to tell her goodbye.

Jane sighs heavily and tucks her chin in as she sees the doctor's disapproving. "Why ha - What?"

"An four inch cut is nothing," Maura asks and huffs annoyed.

"Well-" Jane replies and shrugs. "It could've been worse."

Maura gets up to her feet and takes a very deep breath. "Yes, you could have been death."

Jane shoots up from the chair and she stifles a groan. "Come on, Maura. You knew that I have a dangerous job when you married me. You knew what would you get yourself into."

Maura is holding the taller woman's stare and shudders. "I knew exactly what I got myself into as I married you, Jane. I know that you are beyond reckless when it comes to those you love. I was there when you shot yourself to safe Frankie, I had to witness it. I was there when protect me after we were set up in a car accident and I was there as Geoffrey Dowell threatened to kill me and Ben and you let all your guard down to safe us. I was always there, but …" She squints at the ceiling and laughs humorlessly. "It never was that real, Jane. I have seen how a completely stranger tried to brain you right here, on our porch."

Jane's heart is dropping as she sees the doctor's resigned eyes. "Maura, are you saying? That we should get divorced because some freak is after one of us."

" **No**!" Maura says empathetically and walks to the detective, wrapping her arms carefully around her detective's neck. "Oh, God, no. I just … I can't lose you, Jane."

Jane's heart start to beat again and she pulls the doctor closer at her hips. "Well, I quit if you ask me to."

Maura sighs heavily and furrows her brows. That is something she would never ask. "You know that I would never ask you to quit, Jane."

"I know," the detective says and bends her head, but stops.

Maura is exactly knowing why and runs carefully her fingers over the purple bruise on Jane's jaw and frowns as she eyes the spilt bottom lip. "I don't like it when you look like a professional boxer."

A laugh tries to rumble from Jane's chest but she swallows it and pulls Maura's head to her shoulder. "I know." She whispers and closes her eyes.

"Do you?" Maura asks and looks up. "Because you should know better and not go into a infighting with someone who is stronger than you."

"He wasn't stronger than me," Jane says and growls. "He just took me by surprise."

Maura knows that her wife is hurt in her pride and that's why she plays along. "I know."

Jane's shoulders slump and she sighs heavily. "I would die for you."

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Korsak stops outside and looks long at Frost. "Did you tell Jane about your promotion?"

Frost shrugs. "She put one and one together."

"Does she know that I put your name forward as a Lieutenant in San Francisco?"

"Don't worry about it." Frost simply says and walks to his car.

Korsak scoffs and nods. Frowning.


	14. Chapter 13

**Hey, people. Thank you for reading and reviewing. It is just another short chapter but I hope that you'll like it.**

 **Enjoy.**

 **T73.**

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Jane enters the bullpen after she indeed was with the forensic artist and frowns deeply as she looks at the glass board. She is only on the third floor to get her personal notes of the case, even though Korsak had ordered her to take some days off. She can imagine that Maura will freak out as soon as she finds out about it, but she never was a person who sits around idle and Maura knows that.

 _Why will she do?_ She thinks and looks around in the office, lips pursed. _Duct-tape me to a chair?_ She snorts and takes the black marker in her hand, Korsak is going to kill her but that doesn't matter to her right now. She opens the marker and writes on the said board: - **Loner with few friends**

- **Probable history of perfectionism and obsessive relationship dominated by jealousy**

- **Interested in women**

- **This isn't the first time he's watching his victims**

- **Exceptionally intelligent**

- **Possible military training**

- **Good local knowledge**

- **Ordinary appearance**

She jumps and twists around as some one says, "What are you doing there?" She sighs in relief as she looks into the faced of her brother.

"Shit," she hisses and furrows her brows. "You scared the shit out of me."

He crosses his arms over his chest and furls his brows. "You didn't answer my question. What are you doing? I thought Korsak told you to stay at home."

Jane drops the marker and walks to her desk , opening the tops drawer on the left side. "I'm just here to grab a few things and then I am on my way home. I was down with the forensic artist."

Frankie takes a deep breath and eyes the new notes on the board. "Korsak's gonna know that you wrote that, and then he's gonna kill me."

"Tell him that you wrote it down." Jane replies and takes her pad out of the drawer.

Frankie huffs and turns to her. "Like he has never seen your handwriting, Jane."

She sighs heavily and shrugs, wincing a little. "Tell him the truth, then. Tell him that I came up to get my pad and that I wrote my thoughts down on the board. And that I went home again."

He nods slowly and stuff his hands in the pockets of his suit pants. "How are you feeling, Jane? Ma called and said that you left the hospital against medical advice. And that you drive Maura nuts."

Jane looks long at her brother and walks towards him, patting his shoulder. "I am fine, Frankie, really. My head is buzzing and my side hurts, but it's nothing that I won't survive. No need to worry."

He nods slowly and raises his eyebrows. "I can drive you home."

She smiles broadly and heads towards the entrance. "Stay and help Frost and Korsak until I am back at work."

"Alright," he agrees and walks to his desk, not really knowing where to start. He eyes his sister's ideas and frowns. He asks himself how she got them. _Well, it is a good beginning. We should publish those information with the forensic sketch._

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The Italian pulls up in the driveway and frowns as she sees Frost's car and an unknown silver Volkswagen. She groans because she comes to the conclusion that this has to be Frost's friend with the surveillance cameras. She opens the door and gets out of her car with a heavy sigh.

She isn't really thrilled by the idea of being watched in her private habitat, but after the attack last night she consider it advisable too. And she wants that Maura is feeling safe as well. She runs an hand through her hair and opens the mailbox, she is sure that her wife is too busy to wine their unwelcomed guest to check the mail. If she would be at home in time Frost & Co are there, she would thrust them water and coffee in their hands and watch sports in TV, but Maura is too polite to do so. She always has to be a good hostess.

Jane purses her lips and her heart drops as soon as she spots the white envelope in the mailbox. She immediately knows what is in this item and has a clue why she was assaulted last night. _I interrupted him! God knows what he was doing as I got outside._

A chill runs down her spine and she takes the envelope on a edge in between her thumb and index finger, not going to make the same mistake twice. She heads to the front door and gets inside the house. "Maura, can you bring me a pair of gloves?" She asks unceremoniously and Frost, who sits on the couch, looks up from his laptop.

"Why would you -" Maura says and comes down the stairs and all color drains from her face as soon as she sees the envelope in her wife's hand. She doesn't need an answer anymore and hurries to her bag.

Jane has an dead serious face as she walks to the kitchen island and drops the item to its surface. Thanking the blonde as Maura hands her gloves and a letter opener. She looks at the silent Frost as she puts on the gloves and licks her lips, not sure if she wants to know what that guy has to tell them this time. She opens the envelope anyway and reads:

 **I am the director of your lives. I don't write the script, but I set up the scenes and let improvise the dialogue of the actors. Though the woman detective is a new figure. I don't like that she is a part of my play. Not that I would be selfish or hypothetical, but I am doing this for a very long time and I consider HER as my own!**

Jane's mouth becomes dry as dust and her hand starts to shake as she rereads the words all over again, and as her brain starts to put one and one together. And as she starts to understand that **she** isn't the object of this psychopath's desire but her pregnant wife. _He is doing this for a very long time. How long? How am I supposed to end this and protect Maura? He is after Maura, but why?_ She swallows hard and furrows her brows. _You're an idiot, Jane. A psychopath doesn't need a particular reason, all it needs is a look, a touch, a smile._

Maura sees the horror-stricken face of the Italian and steps closer, wrapping her arms around her middle. "What is it, Jane?"

Jane opens her mouth to answer the question, but a single word leaves it. She starts to breath heavily and clings the edge of the island as her knees start to give in. Thousands of emotions are flooding her body in this moment, including the feeling of helplessness. She knows exactly what this is, a panic attack.

Maura braces her wife and helps her sitting down on a high stool while she orders Frost to call a ambulance. She believes that this has to do with the encounter of last night and that Jane needs medical attention, no matter if her wife wants it or not.

Frost nods agreeing and is about to get his phone from the coffee table.

"No!" Jane stops him as she finds her voice again and shakes her head. "I don't need a ambulance!"

"Jane," Maura starts to admonish and frowns deeply. "You are very pale, you're about to hyperventilate and you do have a rapid heartbeat. You need to see a doctor, and I don't mean me with that

Jane shakes her head vehemently and pulls the doctor into a bone crushing embrace.

Maura is a little taken aback and she looks questioningly at the other detective before her hands roam over Jane's back. "Jane, what's wrong?"

Jane doesn't look up because she don't want Frost to see her like that and buries her face in the fabric of her wife's shirt. Somehow, she already had a strange feeling the whole time, she can't tell why but the feeling was there. _It's happening again, someone is going to take her away from me._

Frost watches the two women and furls his eyebrows, walking to the kitchen island. It's not like that he is judging his partner for her emotional outburst, on the contrary, he can understand it very well. He turns the letter so he can read what upset and he exhales slowly through his mouth. "Oh shit!" He mumbles under his breath.

"What?" Maura asks and starts to lose her patience now. "Would anyone please tell me what is wrong?"

He holds his hand up and presses a speed dial button on his phone. He sighs and waits until someone picks up. "Korsak, we got a problem."

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"No!" Maura says empathetically and loudly, looking at the four detectives who are sitting in her living room now. She places and hand on her hip and shakes r head. "No, I am not going and hide out!"

Frankie groans and drops his chin to his chest. He can see why Maura and his sister are so great with each other. Both of them are stubborn as a mule.

Jane rolls her eyes and gets up to her feet. "Maura, someone is after you, someone who already killed three people."

"So?"

"So? Are you crazy?"

Maura is holding the Italian's piercing gaze. "It isn't the first time that someone is after my blood, Jane."

"Yes, and every time you dodged the bullet." Jane replies and her voice is raising. "But what if neither of us can make it to you in time, huh? Remember the last time as a psycho was after you?"

Maura is nodding and her voice isn't calm anymore as well. "Yes, and I also remember that you made it in time and saved Ben and me."

Jane growls dangerously and clenches her fists. "Because I had the opportunity to grill the accomplice of Geoffrey Dowell about your whereabouts, Maura." She says loud and has forgotten about the presence of the men. "You wanna know what I was willed to do to get the information, hun? I was willed to break Dane Chapman's fingers so he tells where Geoffrey took you. This time, the psychopath is working alone!"

"I won't let him rule my, Jane." Maura says with an raised voice.

The Italian slams her fist to the surface of the kitchen island and flinch as pain shoots through her wrist. "For the love of God, Maura! You are pregnant!"

Frost's and Frankie's eyes shooting to the arguing women and they aren't sure if they heard right.

"That's exactly why I won't let this person rule my life." Maura shoots back and looks determined at her wife. "I won't hide out somewhere in the U.S. until you caught the man, Jane. What if you never get him and -" She trails off and shakes her head. "You read it yourself, Jane. He is doing this for a while already and I am not willed to give my life up after we finally got together. And I am not afraid."

"The you are dumb or crazy," Jane says after a second of silence and she means every single word. She can see the hurt in hazel eyes, but she doesn't care right now. "I mean it, Maura. This not some kind of weird amusement and it's not cool to be chased by a lunatic. You have seen what he did to me because I am not fitting into his fantasy. what do you think he's going to do if he finds out about the pregnancy, huh? Being happy about it and raise the baby with you?"

Maura seems to finally give in before her face is hardening. "I am not hiding out."

Jane stifles a scream and turns around. She freezes as she spots the stunned three men. "You go and knock some sense in her." She growls and stomps towards the staircase. "I need to be alone."

Maura closes her eyes for a second and forces her tears back. She is indeed scared to the bone, but she won't give this man the satisfaction that he ruined her life with Jane.

Korsak clears his throat and gets up from the couch. "You know, Jane is right. You have to think about you and the baby. Whoever does that, he won't take your pregnancy into account."

Maura looks long at him and nods slowly. She can see that her wife already has told him about the baby before they had the argumentation and she doesn't mind it a bit. "I know, and maybe I am selfish but our unborn child do deserve a family. And I can't give it to him or her if we're under permanent police protection."

"That won't happen." Frankie says and frowns. "Well, it's gonna happen, you married Jane Rizzoli who happens to be a cop. But Jane is thinking in bigger dimensions, Maura. She doesn't want you to hide out, she barely can spend two hours away from you. She is suggesting it to keep you safe, the both of you."

All of a sudden, the ME is really feeling like an idiot because she knows that all of them are right. She takes a deep breath and lifts her shoulders. "I'll think about it. Would you excuse me please?" She says and walks to the staircase to talk to her passed wife. She exactly knows where Jane is right now and walks down the stairs. She frowns as soon as she hears the grunting and punching against the heavy bag. "You shouldn't be doing this."

"You know, I shouldn't be doing a lot of things," Jane says and makes a face as soon as her gloved fist hits the bag. "It makes me feeling good, makes me feeling alive, distracts me from my wife who always calls me reckless but isn't any better."

Maura has to smile a little and leans with her hip against a file cabinet. "Maybe your wife is just as proud as you are. Maybe she doesn't want to be away from you because it took the two of you long enough to finally become a couple."

Jane stops punching the bag and turns to the doctor. "That's why I'm begging you on my knees to leave the city until we catch him, Maura. I'm trying to protect you so nothing is going to happen to the two of you. I am swallowing my gun if you -" She stops the thought and closes her eyes. She won't think of the possibility that the woman she loves more than her own life could get killed just because she is mule.

Maura walks to her wife and kisses her gently, and then again, and then she whimpers as Jane holds her in place. She leans her forehead against the Italian's and takes a deep breath. "I just don't wanna wake up in a unknown bed alone, Jane. I know that I am asking for a lot, but I hope you can understand me." She says and opens the Velcro fasteners of the detective's boxing gloves, pulling them off carefully. "And I hope you know that I love you."

"I am still mad." Jane says and furrows her eyebrows as she looks into hazel eyes. "But I love you too."

Maura smiles weakly and kisses the taller woman once more.


	15. Chapter 14

**Before any of you are going to kill me. NO MAJOR CHARACTER IS GOING TO DIE! BIG PROMISE!**

 **Thanks,**

 **T73.**

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Jane takes a look at her watch and frowns while Frost and Frankie are watching TV and try to forget the happenings of the day. She rounds the corner that leads to the hallway on the first floor and hears sounds coming at the end of it. She can think of whom is in there and sighs. She opens the door that leads to the laundry room and sees the back of the blonde. "Don't you think that it is too late to do the laundry, Maura?"

"It is never too late for that." Maura simple answers without looking at the detective.

Jane takes a deep breath and enters the room. Her wife was unusually quiet after they had this little argumentation, though they had the talk in the basement, and she can tell that the doctor still is mad. She steps behind Maura and wraps her arms tightly around her middle. "You're still mad. Mad at me because I called you dumb."

Maura straightens up and leans her head back against the taller woman's shoulder, shaking it. "I am not mad at you, Jane. I am mad at whoever is behind all of this. I mean, I can't explain why someone should be after me. I rack my brain and I can come up with a thousand reasons, but I can't tell why now. And that drives me crazy. And I hate it that a mental ill person manage that we start to fight."

Jane nods approvingly and frowns again as she presses her lips gently to Maura's shoulder. "I don't like to fight with you, either. But I love you, and I worry about you. And I am responsible for you and our unborn child. I could never forgive myself if something happens to the two of you."

Maura takes a deep breath and places her hands on the Italian's arms . "I really could need a glass of wine tonight." She sighs loudly.

Jane is smiling broadly and nods again. "I bet you do. I … could drink for us both."

Finally, the blonde turns in Jane's arms and furls her eyebrows. "And how would that help?"

"It would help me forget the events of the day." Jane replies and shrugs with a grin.

Maura rolls her eyes and swats her wife's shoulder, regretting it immediately as Jane flinch. "I forgot."

"It's okay," Jane says with a smile and kisses the smaller woman on the lips. "I will survive that but of slapping as well."

Maura smiles and starts to shake her head.

"What?"

"I love you."

"Enough to let me go down on you later?"

"Did you make sure that Frost didn't hide any cameras in our bedroom?" Maura asks with a sly smile.

Jane starts grinning and furrows her eyebrows. "He knows that this would be his death."

Maura laughs and takes Jane's hand in her own, leaving the laundry room again. "Come on, let's send the guys home."

Jane smirks like a Cheshire cat and nods approvingly.

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Korsak looks up from his notes the next morning as Jane enters the bullpen and glares at her brother. He can see that something crawled up her as and he can think about something that is including the younger Rizzoli. That's why he doesn't ask what happened.

He also knew that she would come to work even though he told her to stay at home, but with everything that happened yesterday he doesn't mind.

Jane flops down on her chair and still glares at Frankie. Maura and she finally were so close to get intimate again and told Frankie and Frost could go home for the night. Frost was the first who was out of the door but Frankie refused to go and leave them alone in the house. And the more they told him that they'll gonna be fine, he told them that he won't leave.

Even Maura was in a bad mood this morning at home.

"Idiot." Jane growls under her breath and stares at her brother.

Frankie glances confused at her and furls his eyebrows. "What?"

Jane snarls and turns away from him.

Korsak chuckles and gets up from his chair, handing her an folder.

The Italian takes a deep breath and opens the folder. "What is that?"

"Susie came up with that before you showed up." The older man tells her. "It's the lab result of the paper condition and the printing ink."

"It is commercially available." Jane says and drops the folder to her desk with a groan. She rubs her face with her hands and looks up at the two men. "This guy is really good."

"He is just lucky right now, Jane." Korsak replies and furls his brows. "It is only a matter of time until he starts to make mistakes."

"Another year?" Jane snaps and takes a minute before she continues. "We bring him -" She trails off and turns her chair to the board, tilting her head thoughtfully to the side as a thought crosses her mind.

Korsak can see that Jane does have a good idea and decides to let her think it to the end.

"What is it," Frankie asks and wince as Korsak's hand meets the back of his head. "Hey!"

Jane smirks as she looks at the older man and gets up from her chair. "We assumed that we're dealing with some kind of physician, right?"

"Yeah," Frost says as he comes into the bullpen with a paper cup in his hand. "That's why we bothered ourselves with Dr. Dopehead."

She nods and taps on the forensic sketch. "But we can rule him out. He is blond and too tall to be my assaulter." She looks at each of the men and furrows her brows. "Forensic techs and pathologists also do have medical knowledge, and they know how not to leave evidence at the crime scenes."

"That would explain how he could avoid the cameras downstairs." Frost states and sips his coffee. "He knew where they are."

"Mm-hm." Jane agrees with a nod.

"I can't think of a lab tech with red hair." Frankie says with a frown as his sister rolls her eyes.

"How many employees does Maura have? Hundreds?" Korsak asks and runs an hand over his goatee.

Jane's shoulders are slumping and she exhales sharply through her nose. "Not to mention the interns and those who got fired or transferred."

Korsak walks over to his desk and takes his mug in the hand. "But it would explain how he was able to stalk Maura over a longer amount of time without anyone noticing it. He works or worked for her."

Jane sighs heavily and gets her phone from its hosted and types a message for her wife. "There is only one person who can give us -" She trails off when Maura enters the bullpen with a smile. "I was about to text you." Jane says a little amazed and the guys are smirking.

The smile on Maura's lips grows bigger. "Here I am. How can I help you?"

"Can you give us access to the personnel files of the ME's office employees?" Frost asks unceremoniously.

Maura blinks a couple of times and starts to walk to his desk. "Yeah, sure. Can I?"

He nods as she points at his keyboard and frowns. "Of course."

Maura starts to type and frowns a little. "I give you access to all of my employees personnel files. Do you think it is one of my employees?"

"That would explain the loss of evidence at the crime scenes and how he was able to follow you over an longer amount of time without any of us noticing it." Korsak says and takes a deep breath as he sees her frightened gaze.

Jane clears her throat so her wife is looking at her. "What brought you up here?"

"Can I talk to you privately," Maura asks and looks at the three men.

"Yeah, sure." Jane answers and leads the way to the conference room, waiting until is closing again. "What's wrong, Maura?"

Maura licks her lips and frowns again. "I am not really feeling well today. I just wanted to tell you that I am going to my doctor in my lunch break. So you're not wondering that I won't be in my office in that time."

Jane gets a little pale and she steps closer. "Don't you want me to come with you? In the case that -"

"Jane, it's probably nothing." Maura cuts her off and shakes her head. "It is just the stress and I want to make sure that everything is fine."

Jane isn't quite convinced and clenches her teeth. "I am sure that the guys can relinquish me for a couple of hours."

Maura takes Jane's hand in hers and squeezes it lightly. "I will be fine, Jane. They need any help that they can get. I'll be back before you know it."

Jane takes a deep breath and furrows her eyebrows. "Give me a call when you are done so I know that the two of you are fine, alright?"

Maura smiles a little and is about to kiss the detective, but then she stops herself from doing so.

Jane doesn't give a shit where there are right now and tugs on Maura's hand so she is standing directly in front of her. She bends her head and kisses the ME's lips gently.

Maura gasps in surprise and places her hands on the taller woman's shoulders.

Jane pulls away and put her forehead against Maura's." Call me."

The blonde smiles and caresses the detective's cheek with her hand before she leaves the room.

Jane closes her eyes and breathes deeply in and out to compose herself again before she leaves the room as well and heads back to the bullpen. She claps her hands and laughs tensely as the guys are looking at her. "Okay, let's get started, guys."

They nod and pretend that they have seen nothing that had happened in the conference room. Each of them know that Jane would bite their heads off if they would ever mention the kiss the two women have shared just seconds ago.

She smiles awkwardly and sits down on her chair, looking her waiting screen.

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Frost groans and rubs his tired eyes as he leans back in his chair. "God, I am glad that the ME's office digitalized all the personnel files."

"That doesn't help us going any faster." Jane states and cracks her neck. She looks at Korsak, who seems to be sleeping in a seated position. "Hey! You still with us?"

He drags his eyes off his screen and furls his brows. "I was focusing."

"Yeah, sure." She laughs and gets a glimpse of the dark streets of Boston. She furls her eyebrows and looks down on her watch, realizing that it is already 9.30 pm. She curses under her berth and gets her phone from her hip. She sees that Maura has sent two texts.

One says that everything went fine at her doctor and the second says that she is on her way home and that Jane isn't going to work too long tonight.

The Italian is the one who is groaning now and she stretches her arms over her head. She gets up to her feet and looks at Korsak, Frankie and Frost. "I go and get myself a burger from the Dirty Robber. You guys want something?"

"The same as usual." Korsak says and looks briefly at her.

Frankie loosen his tie and rolls the sleeves of his shirt up. "For me too."

"Ditto." Frost says and raises an hand without looking away from his chair.

Jane smiles broadly and grabs her jacket from the back of the chair, putting it on. She frowns as the phone of Korsak starts buzzing. "What is it?"

He holds his hand up while he is listening to the caller. He furls his eyebrows and gets up to his feet. "There is a burning vehicle in the near of Stony Brook. With a body sitting inside."

All of the other detectives are groaning in unison now and the two men get up as well.

"I just wanted to have a burger and then drive home and enjoy the rest of the evening with my wife." Jane whines.

"Just like me." Frost grumbles and the others are looking questioningly at him. He pauses and furls his eyebrows. "I mean, I wanted to enjoy the rest of the night with my girlfriend Colleen."

Jane chuckles and starts to walk. "I drive!"

That earns another set of groans and she glares at each of them.

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Frankie gets out of the car first at the new crime scene and looks terrified at the driver. "I still wonder how you got your driver's license."

"Shut up!" His sister hisses as she opens the driver's door. "You would stuck in traffic because you didn't know about the shortcut."

"That wasn't a shortcut," Korsak says as he gets out of the car and holds his back. "that was cut across country."

"I'm seasick." Frost adds and he actually does look a little green.

Jane rolls her eyes and opens her mouth to snap something, but stops as she spots Cavanaugh behind the police tape, talking to the incident commander. The voice in her head is telling her that this is extremely unusual and she heads towards the tape. And the said voice is telling her that something is terribly wrong.

Cavanaugh meets her half way and tries to stop her from ducking under the tape. "Rizzoli, what are you doing here?"

She freezes and furls her eyebrows. "Well, we were called to the scene, Sir."

"No," he says empathetically and looks to her colleagues. "Your colleagues were requested. You go home now."

Jane doesn't understand why he is telling her to go home if they probably have the next victim of their killer. "Lieutenant …"

"It's an order, Rizzoli." He says and waves at Korsak and the others.

Jane gets a glimpse of the blazing fire and the car body and her heart drops. She would recognize it everywhere on any time and panic is spreading through her body.

Her eyes are growing huge as she heads towards the burning car and she knows that no one inside can survive that, and it looks like the fire fighters doesn't bother to extinguish the flames, they let the vehicle burn out because they can't do anything anyway.

She is about to pass out as she sees the rest of the license plate and her knees almost give in, but she forces her legs to keep going so she can get the body out of the deadly trap.

"Detective Rizzoli!" Cavanaugh yells on top of his lungs but she ignores him.

"Maura," she whispers and keeps going. She wants to pull free when someone holds her arm vise-like. " **Let go of me**!" She yells and looks into the brown eyes of her brother.

Frankie doesn't say a word as he holds her in a firm embrace so she can't do anything stupid. He expects her to yell of that she would fight him, but all she is doing right now is shaking violently.

Jane is staring at the orange, licking flames that lightens the night and doesn't know what to feel in this moment. She is beyond screaming or crying or fighting her brother in this moment. Or in the mood of acceptance.

Frost is different, though. He runs his hands over his head after Cavanaugh told them that the burning car is Maura's and that it is probably her inside. "Fuck!" He screams and some of the officer are looking at him, not judging him for his outburst.

Korsak, on the other hand, is just standing there and stares disbelievingly at the car, his jaw has hit the ground. He didn't saw **that** coming. Such an escalation. He comes to the conclusion that Maura most likely fought the killer and he killed her in a touch of anger and tried to burn the evidence.

It is the first time that he feels like throwing up at a crime scene since a while.

Jane can't control her shaking body and painful whimpers escapes from her throat as she hold onto him for dear life.


	16. Chapter 15

**Hey, guys. Thank you all for your reviews. This might not be the chapter you are hoping for, but I hope you'll like it anyway.**

 **Enjoy.**

 **T73.**

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Angela is standing behind the kitchen island and is crying silent, thick tears. As soon as Jane and Frankie came home she had seen that something is terribly wrong. Her daughter hasn't said a word at all and Frankie had downed a bottle of beer with one single swig.

She almost passed out as Frankie stuttered that Maura died in a fire and she had hoped that Jane would tell her brother to shut up, but her daughter is just sitting on the couch and stares at switched-off TV so it has to be true.

Frankie is already downing his third beer and Jane still hasn't said a word or moved at all. Angela sits down next to her daughter, putting a cup of tea on the coffee table. "You have to drink, baby." She says with a hoarse voice but Jane doesn't move even an inch. If she wouldn't see her daughter's chest moving she'd be afraid that Jane mist died too and just sit because rigor mortis.

She cups her daughter's face with both of her hands and turns her face to her. "Baby."

Finally, Jane blinks once and a thick tear is tickling down her cheek.

Jane's expression might be hollow, but her eyes are full of emotions and the matriarch pulls the detective into a tight hug. "Baby, you have to drink. Say something, yell, break something."

Jane doesn't say a word and gets up from the couch, grabbing her keys and jacket. She doesn't need the company of her mother right now and makes no bones about it.

The matriarch wipes the tears off her cheeks and exhales shakily through her mouth. "Do you want me to call Constance and Hope?"

Jane stops dead and clenches her fists, not looking at her mother. Deep down in her heart she knows that her mother just means well, but that doesn't mean that she wants her to do anything just now. "Don't you dare calling them." She growls dangerously and shoots Angela a glare.

Frankie senses that his sister is about to explode and that she is willed to bite their mother's head off indignantly. He already takes a step forward. "Jane, I know it's too soon to talk about it, but we have to inform them that -" He trails of and tries to swallow the lump in his throat down, unsuccessfully.

Jane spins around and stands with three big strides in front of him. Her eyes are warning him. "Say it!" She demands and dares him. "Say it if you really believe that it was Maura in the car! **Say it**!"

He sighs heavily and wants to put his hands on her shoulders. "Jane -"

She slaps the said hands away and a dangerous fire is blazing in her eyes. "The dead person is not Maura, and none of you is allowed to say that Maura is gone until the lab has proven otherwise." Her chin starts to tremble and she looks at her mother and her brother. "And if the … if it was for real Maura in the burning car, then I am going to tell her family, no one else. Did I make myself clear?" She doesn't wait until one of the others is confirming her orders and turns on her heals. She slams the door shut behind her.

Frankie dares to move again and sits down next to Angela, pulling her into a tight .

Angela shudders and then sobs into her son's shoulder.

Jane sits down behind the steering wheel of her car and stares ahead, not willed to allow all her feelings taking the control of her brain and body. She drops her chin to her chest and swallows a bitter sob, burying her hands in her hair. _I should've told her that I love her before she left_. She thinks and her shoulders starts shaking. She is far from accepting that the woman she loves more than her own life should be gone, her heart is not able to accept that, just like her brain.

She slams her hands down on the steering wheel before she wipes the tears on her cheek angrily away. She stars the engine and pulls out of the driveway.

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Korsak is standing in the autopsy room and stares at the burned remains on it. He doesn't need to be a doctor to tell that the victim is female, but he doesn't want to believe that it is the blonde who almost tamed the Italian tomboy. And he won't believe that this should be the woman he walked down the aisles because her father was indispensable.

He is sniffling and closes his eyes. He is glad that he ordered Frost to stay upstairs because he is more than sure that Frost's heave his guts out if he'd see … **her** like that. He is more experienced in something like that, thanks to Vietnam and days in Homicide he better not think off. He had lost a lots of friends but none of them had affected him so deeply.

The whole BPD is paralyzed from shock since the news traveled around that the kind Dr. Maura Isles is no longer, not to mention the forensic department.

He turns his head when the double door opens and looks at Dr. Mateo Ruiz and frowns.

Ruiz is in the age of fifty-one. He has a olive complexion, wavy dark brown hair cut middle, and brown eyes. He is very short, quite short and is wearing dark scrubs. The total opposite to Maura.

Korsak likes him, though, cuz Ruiz is quite forward. It's not the first time they had to work with each other and he can see that this all also gets to Ruiz. The other man isn't such a dipstick like Pike who probably can't wait until he can move into Maura's office.

Ruiz takes a deep breath and puts on a pair of gloves. "You sure you wanna be here during the autopsy?" His deep voice booms with the hint of Spanish accent.

Korsak doesn't answer right away but nods. His eyes meets Ruiz' and he takes a deep breath. "I wanna make sure that everything goes smoothly ."

"You doubt my ability?"

"No, but **her** wife will do so if I leave you alone."

The doctor sighs heavily and steps to the table. "We're gonna find out what happened and who this is. I work for too many years with Dr. Isles to believe that those remains should be hers."

"You're supposed to have an open mind."

"I am open-minded," Ruiz replies and forces the mandibular of the corpse with a crack open and Korsak flinches slightly. "But I am also allowed to have an opinion."

"Mau - Dr. Isles wouldn't like that."

"That I have a opinion?"

Korsak smiles weakly. "You have a lot in common with her."

Ruiz smiles a little and examines inside of the mouth. "The oral cavity and the teeth are surprisingly well." He looks over his shoulder and nods at a metal table. "Can you hand me the laryngoscope spatula?"

The detective takes a deep breath and eyes the instruments on the table, not knowing what he is looking for. "The what?"

"The thing that looks like a part of a climbing hook." The ME says and thanks Korsak as he hands him the requested item. "I am going to take a look in the throat before I'll examine the trachea. But I already can tell you that I won't find any soot in it. It looks like -" He trails off and looks at Korsak. He doesn't have the heart to call the body by his superior's name and sighs. "It looks like Jane Doe wasn't breathing anymore when the fire started."

Korsak turns his attention away as Ruiz takes an scalpel in his hand and swallows hard. "Is there a way to get some DNA sample, Doc?"

"Yes, there is. But I am sure that you won't hear or see how I get the said sample." Ruiz answers with a shake of his head. He is glad that remains are burned beyond recognition, because it is always harder when you have to look into a familiar face that is nothing more than just a lifeless hull on a autopsy table.

Korsak takes a couple of deep breathes and closes his eyes. He knows exactly how Ruiz is going to get the DNA sample and that he is right. He doesn't want to be in the room when the doctor extract a tooth from the corpse. "Um, how long … how long are you going to need with the lab result?"

"I'll push it right through." The other man says and straightens up, looking at the Sergeant. "Does have Dr. Isles have pictures of her set of teeth around?"

Korsak sniffles and rubs his left eye as a tear threatens to fall. "I'll have to ask Susie about that. Excuse me for a moment."

"Sure," Ruiz replies and watches Korsak leaving the room. He looks down at the body and frowns. "God, I am praying that you are not Maura Isles." He whispers before he continues his work.

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Korsak enters the bullpen and actually does look a little pale he loosen his tie and sighs heavily. He stops dead as he sees a picture of the Chief Medical Examiner of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts posted to the board. It is the picture from Maura's own personnel file and that's why her expression is neutral. He gags as his eyes drops to the burned body at the crime scene and he won't believe that this should be her.

"I am not going to ask what Ruiz had said," Frost states as he walks to his desk and sits down on his chair. "Is he able to identify the body?"

Korsak walks to the coffeemaker and nods slowly. "Yeah, there is a way to compare the DNA of the newest victim with Maura's, but better don't ask how. I left the room before he could get started."

The two men turn their head to the entrance and frown as the Italian enters the bullpen.

Jane stops at the board and yanks the photo off her wife off the board and wipes Maura's name away. She turns to the two men and furls her eyebrows, holding the picture up. "Who the hell posted that on the board? And who wrote Maura's name on the damn board?"

Korsak and Frost opens their mouth but closes them again. None of them knows the answer .

"That was me." Cavanaugh states as he comes into the room, his face is unreadable.

Jane stares at the Lieutenant and has to force herself not to yell at him, or to bite his head of. She takes a step forward and her facial muscles are twitching. "With all due respect, Sir, but that person in the car is not Maura Isles!"

"It is Dr. Isles' car and CSRU found the remains of her badge and ID in the burned out car." Cavanaugh says unimpressed and doesn't flinch as the Italian growls low. "In any other cases you would come to the same conclusion. That the burned body in the vehicle is the person on the ID."

"But I also would incorporate the possibility that someone place those evidence at the crime scene as a red herring, Lieutenant." Jane counter and her voice is raising slightly. "None of this is proving that Maura is dead for real." She yanks the copies of the threatening letters off the board and hold them in front of Cavanaugh's eyes. "You see that? This is the prove that he would never lay a finger on her. He thinks that -"

"Something could have gone wrong as he tried to kidnap Dr. Isles, Rizzoli." He reasons and frowns deeply as he sees her look. "She could have fought back and the whole situation went out of control, Rizzoli. How many cases have you investigated with such an outcome, even though there was no intent to commit a murder, huh? You have absolutely no evidence that Dr. Maura Isles is still alive. And as long as you prove me wrong, we handle this new case like your wife's death." His face darkens and he steps closer. "You can call yourself lucky that I don't pull you off, Rizzoli. Not yet."

Jane is standing there like a salt pillar and her face doesn't show any emotion, but her eyes are giving her away completely. "Yes, Sir." She snarls and straightens up, her lips are pressed together to a thin line.

"Now, get your shut together and **investigate** this damn case." Cavanaugh says with emphasis and looks at the two other detectives before he leaves the room again.

Jane's body language is changing immediately and she turns away from the others as tears start burning in her eyes. She sniffle and wipes her nose with the back of her hand.

Frost's shoulders are slumping and he looks helplessly at the older man. "Jane -"

She holds her hand up before he can say more and balls it into a fist. She shakes her head and hurries out of the bullpen.

Frost sighs heavily and runs his hands over his face. "Korsak, what are you thinking? Do we have to investigate Maura's murder?"

"I think that we should give Jane some time and that we should wait for the DNA results." Korsak says and looks at the mug in his hand. "Meanwhile, we go to BRIC and see what we'll find on the public surveillance footage."

Frost doesn't need to be told twice and is up to his feet in no time and follows Korsak hot on his heels. "We're gonna need a lot more coffee."


	17. Chapter 16

**Okay, guys. I just couldn't stop myself. I hope this next chapter puts you a little at ease.**

 **Enjoy.**

 **T73.**

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Jane can see that Frost and Korsak are feverishly trying to reconstruct her wife's whereabouts with the help of the public surveillance system as she looks through the French door. She closes her eyes and leans her forehead against the cool glass before she walks into BRIC. She is wearing a deep frown as she clears her throat. "What do you got?"

Frost looks over his shoulder and raises his eyebrows high. "Well, Maura drove directly from BPD to her doctor in Boylston Street." He says and leans back in his chair. She didn't stop to get a tea or a snack and no car followed her."

Korsak licks his lips and takes a deep breath. "Now, we're waiting for her to leave the building again and try to keep on following Maura."

The Italian nods slowly and looks at the screen, eyebrows furrowed. "Yeah, it can take a while if you don't have a official appointment at Dr. Rayner's office." She says and crosses her arms over her chest. She maybe appears calm on the outside, but on the inside of her a storm is raging. "There she is." She says and takes a step forward as soon as her wife reappears on the screen and sees how Maura is getting her phone out of her phone. "That's when she texted me that everything is fine and that she's heading straight to our house." _Damn it_ , she thinks and heaves a sigh. _I should have been with her_.

Frost gets up from his chair as he sees that Maura is turning around because of something and then a man walks up to her, but she doesn't seem to be scared or that she doesn't know the person. They seem to know each other because they are chatting for what feels like an hour.

He furls his brows as the ME is nodding and pointing at her car. He groans loudly as she unlocks the Toyota and as he gets on the passenger's seat. _So she probably offered him to give him a ride to somewhere._ He think and looks at the Italian. He sees that she is thinking the same because her facial expression is tense.

Jane is staring at the screen and isn't breathing anymore. She is not quite sure what she should be extremely worried or if she should be really pissed at her wife right now. _She knew that someone is after her, why on earth did she offered someone a ride_? She closes her eyes and forces her lungs to suck in air. _Because she knew him, Jane. That's why she offered him a ride. Who would suspect any danger from a person you know? And they looked like they knew each other for quite some time._ She steps closer to Frost and frowns. "Frost, wind back to the point when he walked up to Maura and zoom in his face."

Frost sits back down on his chair and is doing what Jane had said. He knows that it is a long shot, but it could their best lead.

Jane swallows hard and clenches her teeth as she looks at the unknown man. He definitely could be the one who had attacked her two nights ago. She shifts her weight from one foot to the other and furls her eyebrows as he accidentally looks in the direction of the camera. "Pause and run his face through face-recognition."

Korsak looks at her and stuffs his hands in the pockets of his slacks. "You think that's our guy?"

"I'm sure of it," she grumbles and looks at the older man as she licks her lips.

They turn their heads in the direction of the entrance when the door gets open and Jane's heart drops when she looks into the face of Mateo Ruiz.

His face gets blank and he spots Jane, looking at Korsak and Frost. "Uh, Sergeant Korsak, Detective Frost, can I talk to you for a minute?"

Korsak turns his whole body and nods once. "It's all right, Detective Rizzoli is still in the investing team. Say whatever you have to say, Ruiz."

"Oh, okay." Ruiz replies and steps into the room. "Uh, my assumption was right."

"Your **assumption**?" Jane asks and her eyebrows shoot up high.

The male doctor tucks his chin in and frowns, deciding not to react to that. "I neither found any soot in the oral cavity, trachea nor in lungs and bronchial."

"Which means that the victim wasn't breathing as the fire got started." Jane states and crosses her arms over her chest.

Ruiz is nodding approvingly. "Exactly."

"And what was the actual cause of death?"

"Blunt force trauma to the back of the victim's head." Ruiz says and smiles proudly. "I found several fractures in the skull and a fatal cerebral hemorrhage."

Jane swallows down the lump in her throat. "Can you tell what caused this?"

"I'm sorry, no."

Korsak takes a deep breath and looks long at the doctor. "What about the DNA?"

Ruiz sighs heavily and shrugs. "I'm still waiting for the results, just like for the picture of Dr. Isles' set of teeth."

Jane frowns deeply as Ruiz turns to leave and grabs Korsak's forearm, digging her nails in it. "Um, Dr. Ruiz, do you have anything else?"

Korsak's mouth drops open and he wants to slap himself. He should have think of that detail earlier.

Ruiz turns back to the Italian and shakes his head. "No, nothing so far. Is there something I should keep in -" He hurries to Jane as her knees are about to give in.

Jane's head start to spin and she can't keep herself up. "Oh." She breathes and sits down on a free chair. " **Oh**!"

"Is everything all right?" The ME asks and looks confused at the other man. "Do you need medical attention?"

Jane can't keep her tears at bay anymore and shakes her head. She hates herself for having a meltdown in front of the men and wipes her tears away. "My wife -" She starts but her voice cracks. She closes her eyes to compose herself again and tries again. "My wife … Maura is nine weeks pregnant." _And a baby can't just hop out of a uterus, right?_

Frost glares at Korsak and wants to punch him. "You didn't tell Ruiz about the pregnancy?"

"I forgot," the older man says with an high-pitched voice. "I am sorry, but there were a lot of things I had to think about."

"Korsak!" Frost almost yells.

Jane ignores them and looks with hopeful eyes at the doctor. "If the woman in the morgue is not nine weeks pregnant, she can't be Maura, right?"

Ruiz smiles softly and shakes his head. "That is absolutely not possible, Detective. I mean, a nine weeks fetus can't just disappear. I can tell with absolute certainty that the woman in the morgue is not Maura Isles."

Jane's body is slumping down in the chair and she heaves a sigh of relief, looking gratefully at the doctor in front of her. "I really don't know how to thank you, Dr. Ruiz." She whispers and can't help the small smile.

He smiles back at the detective and squeezes her knee. "You are more than welcome, Detective Rizzoli. You don't have to thank me, I was just doing my job."

"Still," she replies and looks up at Korsak.

Frost starts to head for the door. "I go and tell Cavanaugh about the new situation."

"Detective Frost," Ruiz says and gets up to his feet. "I'll come with you."

The younger man nods and waits for the dumpy man.

Jane squeezes Korsak's hand tightly and makes a sound between a chuckle and a sob. "I knew it, Vince. I knew that the woman in Maura's car isn't Maura."

He inhales shakily and nods, not saying a word. He's too afraid that his voice could give him away right now. He scoffs and shakes his head now.

"We still have to find out who the woman is, though." Jane mumbles more to herself.

"One step at a time," he finally says and frowns as she meets his eyes. "We're gonna find your wife first, all right?"

Jane nods and gets up to her feet. "All right, let's get started."

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Maura isn't aware of how she could end up here. First, she is texting her wife that she and their child are fine and then she tried to be nice and give an old friend and lab employee a ride home because he pretended that his car is broken. And now she is sitting at a dining table in a old farm house that stands in the middle of nowhere.

She looks at the metal-grilled windows and the heavy bars at the doors. Her brain yells at her to get her ass up and search for a way to escape, but her body is paralyzed and it doesn't move an inch since he sat her down on the chair. She is visibly shaking but she had sheet no tear while he was in the same room with her but as soon as he got upstairs to lay down she was a waterfall.

He didn't drugged her to get her here, but a barrel of a gun that was pointed at her was enough to make her obey. It is not that she couldn't disarm him or run away while he set her car on fire, but the fact that she is pregnant stopped her from making any stupid move.

Maura forces her body to shake when she hears heavy footsteps coming from behind her and she went ridge as soon as she feels an unwanted hand on her shoulder.

"You didn't eat and you didn't drink." His voice booms in the room and he takes the plate from the last night and the glass of wine to the sink. "I thought that you like Chinese food and a glass of Pinot noir. You wanna have some breakfast? Coffee?"

"I am not hungry." She says with a hoarse voice and force herself not to look at him. "Owen, why are you doing any of this? Is this because I had to fire you? I had no other choice because of the budget cuts."

He chuckles amused and flops down on the chair next to the blonde. "You remember the day when I asked you out for a date, Maura?"

She licks her dry lips and looks into his dead blue eyes. She remember that day well. "I told you that I am flattered, but that I don't go out on a date with any of my employees."

He smirks and bites his lower lip. "And then you started to date this jackass of DA."

"He wasn't working for me, Owen. We worked for different authorities." She tries to reason and furrows her eyebrows as she realizes that she is banging her head against a brick wall.

He sighs dramatically and leans a little forward. "I never understood what you saw in this knucklehead. I immediately knew that he wouldn't be able to hold a candle to you, Maura. Not to mention Detective Jane Rizzoli, how can you think that she is any better than me huh? I mean, that is even worse than any DA with money. She wasn't even able to protect you." He wants to wipe the tear with his thumb off her cheek but stops as Maura turns her head away. "I can offer you everything, I can offer you the whole world. All you have to do is to say yes and turn your back on her."

Maura curses herself for letting a tear slip at the mention of her wife's name before she looks back at Owen. "Just let me go. I'll put in a good word for you."

He gets up to his feet a heavy sigh and glance long at her. "I have all the time in the world. You're gonna change your mind."

Maura closes her eyes and swallows a bitter sob.

"I left you clothes to change in the bedroom." He suddenly says in an authoritative tone. "I'll show you around in the noon. You should know the place where you're living from now on."

Her body starts to shake as she suppresses the said sob and releases it as soon as she hears a door closing. She slumps forward and almost starts to hyperventilate. The next moment, she's clenching her firsts and inhales deeply. "Get a grip on yourself, Maura." She pep talk and looks around. "You have to get out of here in one piece."


	18. Chapter 17

Jane is sitting in BRIC and rubs her temples with her fingers. She isn't quite sure if her headache is coming from the lack of sleep, the beating, the crying or it all together. At least she knows that her gut wasn't fooling her at all and that her wife is out there, alive, and she don't plan on letting this son of a bitch change that.

When she closes her eyes, she can see her wife scowling at her because she hasn't slept, she can feel Maura's touch on her skin and feel her soft lips on her own, that's what keeps her going. _God, I need Maura kissing me or just one single fun fact coming from her mouth_.

She straightens up when she feels the presence of someone next to her and smiles tired when she spots the next cup of coffee on the desk. She brushes her hair out of the face and is about to sip the hot beverage.

"You look like shit." Korsak states and sips his own coffee.

She stops in her movement and smiles a little. "Gee, thanks. Have you looked at yourself?"

He chuckles and takes a deep breath before he risks a look at the still running program. "Still no match?"

"He really does have a ordinary face," she sighs and props her elbows on her knees. "No hits so far, no."

He runs his hand over his beard and sighs. "I mean it, Jane. You should go home, take a nap for an hour or two and change in some fresh clothes. I can stay here and keep watching."

She purses her lips and shakes her head. "I am not tired, I am fine."

"You had a microsleep over there," the Sergeant replies and nods as she makes a face. "No one's gonna judge you."

"I am gonna judge me, Vince." She replies and shakes her head. "Maura wouldn't leave either if I would be in her shoes right now, I have enough time to sit and sleep after we brought her home safe and sound."

He sighs heavily and nods. He does know that it is useless to negotiate with her about this right now. He is aware of the fact this is an already lost battle.

"I'm so gonna take a leave when this is over." Frost growls as he enters BRIC and huffs.

"You're so gonna move to San Francisco after this is over." Jane replies and Korsak chuckles.

Frost frowns and looks at both of them. "That too. How's it going with recognition?"

"Not at all." Jane groans and rolls her head back and forth in her neck. "What happened?"

"I just wanted a cup of coffee." Frost simply says.

"So?"

"Do I have any coffee?"

Jane smiles broadly and stands up from the chair when the computer suddenly beeps. Her eyes are huge and expectantly. "We got a match?"

Frost clicks on his mouse and a picture pops up. The man has red hair, a angular jaw and the dead blue eyes Jane remembers instantly. "His name is Owen -"

Jane is already on her way out of BRIC. "Frost, send the picture to my phone, all right." She says louder. She has recognized the emblem of the State of Massachusetts and she has a clue who she can ask.

Frost furls his eyebrows and does what his partner asked.

Jane doesn't bother to wait for the elevator and pushes the door to the staircase open. Her bruised ribs are protesting as she takes two steps at a time but she ignores the pain, telling herself that there's gonna be enough time to worry about that later.

She is almost sprinting through the forensic department and groans as she bumps into the door frame of the lab.

Susie is jumping and almost drops a culture dish.

Jane doesn't care about that either and opens the photo Frost just sent. "Susie, do you know this guy?"

The younger woman puts the dish aside and studies the face. "Is this the guy who kidnapped Dr. Isles?"

"Susie!" Jane presses impatiently for and. "Focus."

"Sorry." Susie mumbles and starts to study the picture. All of a sudden, she tucks her chin in and furls her brows.

Jane is giving her time and she can see that something is clicking in Susie's mind. She shifts her weight from one foot to the other and frowns. "Do you know him, Susie?"

"That's Owen McGowan." Susie slowly says and looks with a frown at the Italian. "He worked here in the lab, but Dr. Isles had to fire him because of the new budget cuts."

"When did she had to fire him?"

"That was about three months ago."

"Was he pissed about it?"

"No, he seemed to be relieved, just like Dr. Isles."

This makes Jane prick up her ears. "Why was Maura relieved that she had to fire an employee?"

Susie shrugs and pulls off her gloves. "Owen always was a … special colleague. He liked to be for himself and only a handful of us knew what he likes to do outside of the lab. But when it came to Dr. Isles he behaved … he was a little pushy."

Jane raises her eyebrows. "Pushy?"

Susie nods approvingly and takes a deep breath. "It got worse after he asked her out once, but she turned him down."

"Because she doesn't date employees of hers."

"Exactly." The scientist agrees and sighs. "And briefly after that, Dr. Isles started to see -"

Jane nods slowly and rolls her eyes. "Maura started to see Ben." She finishes as Susie trails off and sighs. This person just won't stop to haunt her. She frowns and licks her lips. "How long did Owen McGowan worked here?"

Susie takes a deep breath and shrugs. "About five years."

Jane's jaw drops to the floor and she lowers her eyebrows. "Really? I've never noticed him."

"Like I said, he is a really quiet guy."

"A loner."

"Mm-hm."

"Do you know where he lives?"

"Germantown? Does that help?"

Jane's face wants stoic and she swallows hard. "You probably must cracked the case, Susie. Thank you so much." She starts to hurry and gets her from its holder, dialing a number she knows by heart. She holds the device to her ear and punches the button of the elevator. "Frost, meet me at my car, Owen McGowan is our guy!"

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Frost sits on the backseat of the Italian's unmarked car and grunts as she takes a sharp turn. "Jesus," he mumbles and looks back on his tablet.

Jane looks into the review mirror and smirks. "You were saying?" She blares over the siren and Korsak chuckles.

Frost rolls his eyes and shifts in his seat. "I said … Owen McGowan is … in the age of Maura."

Jane groans annoyed. "Just say it, all right? He is in his early forties"

He clears his throat and smirks just like Korsak. "He is a pretty scary dude. He was charged a couple of times for exhibitionism in the age of a teenager, from the same mother of the stalked girl. Her name was Nancy Grove."

Jane looks once again in the rearview mirror and a chill runs down her spine. "Was?"

"She was reported as … missing six years ago and turned up a year ago. Mummified."

"He's doing this for quite a time. Maura isn't his first victim, and won't be his last if we don't stop him." Korsak states and looks briefly at the Italian.

"Yeah," Jane says as she sobers again and looks briefly at the reflection of her other partner. "He probably turned his house into some kind of weird dungeon."

Frost and Korsak are exchanging a look and Frost smirks. "What would Maura say about that?"

"About dungeons?" Jane asks back and furrows her brows. "Probably: _Jane, a dungeon is a room or a cell in which prisoners are held, especially underground. Dungeons are generally associated with medieval castles, though their association with torture probably belongs more to the Renaissance period. An oubliette is a form of dungeon which is accessible only from a hatch in a high ceiling_."

The two men furls their eyebrows and look amazed at the Italian.

Jane notices her mistake and warns both of them with her gaze. "Shut up!" She says and chuckles with them.

Frost can see that they are driving by a white, one-story house and points at it. "Um, Jane, that was Owen McGowan's house."

She nods and takes a deep breath, taking the next turn to the right and switching off the sirens. "I know, Frost. But McGowan will be alarmed if I stand on the brakes with blaring sirens in front of his house. He killed four people, I don't want Maura to be his fifth victim. That's why we're going to park on the backside."

"A diversionary maneuver," Korsak states and nods with raised eyebrows.

The Italian unbuckle her seatbelt with a smirk. "Exactly. Things always seem to happen when you least expect them."

Frost smiles wryly and gets out of the car just like the others. He follows them to the backyard of McGowan's house and passes the small garden gate, but something is telling him that this is too easy.

He frowns as Jane nods at the back door and counts to ten before he kicks it in easily.

Jane is about to enter the house but then she stops dead, she has the same feeling like Frost. "That was to easy." She whispers to the two men and they nod approvingly.

Her heart is clenching tightly as the hope and the euphoria starts to leave her body again. She swallows down the lump in her throat and starts to walk again.

Owen McGowan's place is neat and furnished in modern style. A high bookshelf embellishing a wall in the living room and the fireplace seems to be in use regularly. She rounds the corner with her drawn gun and clenches her teeth so she isn't calling out Maura's name. For her, the search happens at a crawl.

She stops at a stairway and looks at Korsak, pointing at the ceiling to signal him that she is going upstairs.

He nods and hates the fact that they didn't took Frankie with them so they could employ the buddy system. **I come with you** , he mouthes but she shakes her head. He glares at her but she simply ignores it.

Jane makes the first step on the stairway and hopes that the steps won't creak. _Doesn't matter anyway, the moment of surprise is already gone_. She thinks to herself and focuses back on her footsteps, and takes in every single sound and every single moving shadow. Just because the house appears to be empty on the first sight, it doesn't have to mean that it is empty for real. Owen McGowan knows this place by heart and could hide everywhere.

They already had it all. A suspect hidden in a closet, storage room, in the darkest corner of a basement just to Shanghai them.

She places an hand on a doorknob and takes a deep breath before she carefully turns it. The door opens with a creak and Jane makes a face. _And I have to catch the damn door that is unfilled. Damn it!_

She pushes through the door and notices that this probably is his bathroom. She pulls the cheap vinyl shower curtain to the side. She releases her breath and comes to the conclusion that there is no other place in the bathroom to hide and leaves it again.

She walks down to the next door and opens it just as careful as the first door and gets greeted with a storage rack. _Damn it!_

Jane takes a deep breath and focuses on the next and last door and opens that as well. She steps into the room and realize that she is standing in Owen McGowan's bedroom. She spots the king-size bed and she feels sick at the thought that Maura could have slept in there. She is aware that Maura is doing everything to keep herself and their child alive, but that doesn't make it any better.

Jane is gritting her teeth and opens the closet. If Owen is going to be in there she won't hesitate and shoot him in the head, but she sees nothing else then the suits which are hanging neatly on a hanger and a shelf with folded shirts.

She heaves a sigh and closes the piece of furniture again, putting her gun back in the holster. She purses her lips as she walks down the stairs and gets a pair of gloves out of her pocket. Now, it comes the more annoying part of the job after securing the house, searching through it.

Korsak meets her in the hallway just like Frost. "The house is clear."

"Yeah," she grumbles and walks in the kitchen. "I'm sure it is." She opens the refrigerator and furls her brows as she finds it nearly empty. "He have this house to give the appearance of being the nice neighbor next door. He doesn't really live here."

Frost heaves a sigh and gets his phone from its holder. "I'll call CSRU."

Jane nods approvingly and closes her eyes for a brief moment before she looks more closely around.

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Maura indeed had changed into a blue jeans, a dark shirt and a gray cardigan that Owen had placed on the bed. She doesn't really know how he does know her dress size and it terrifies her pretty much.

She walks next to him on a pasture and tries to locate the best way to escape, making a face.

He looks down at her and frowns. "What's wrong?"

She tries to keep the venom out of her voice and shrugs. "The zip tie cuts into my wrists." She replies and licks her lips.

He seems to consider her words for a second and takes a glance at her hands which are bound on her back. "Nice try, Maura." He chuckles and inhales the country air deeply. "You know, my mother's family owns this farm over generations."

Maura licks her lips again and wants to take a step away from him as his arm brushes hers. _Just play along. Maybe that keeps you long enough alive for Jane finding you_. "I … I thought you live in Germantown."

"I do sometimes." He says and straightens up. "But I always hated it there, but it wouldn't have made a good impression in a CV if I state that I live on a secluded farm. I grew up here and I always loved it. I never was a city boy."

 _And it is a good place to keep and kill people._ She thinks and stops to walk. "Owen, why are you doing this?"

Owen groans and looks up at the sky. "Isn't it obvious, Maura?" He asks and steps into her personal space, taking her head between his hands. "You and I are meant to be together. I knew it from the moment when I saw you in the lab. I just needed a reason to get you into a investigation."

"So, you killed Daniel Powers, Kelly Ellison and Cheryl Brown so I am a part of the investigation team?" She asks and stays where she is, even though she wants to step away.

"Yes, and to prove you that Jane Rizzoli isn't good enough for you." He answers and tucks her hair behind her ear. "I know this is much for now. And I know, you gonna need some time to understand all of it, but you will in a couple of weeks."

Maura closes her eyes so he can't see the tears and the aversion in them and her body went rigid as he pulls her against his body.

"It's gonna be okay," he murmurs and she can feel the bile coming up.

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Jane is bracing herself with her hands against her car and let her head hang while the two men are talking to the CSRU. They hadn't had found anything that tell them where Owen is staying for real and it dampen her spirits more and more. She knows that her wife is still alive, she can feel it in her heard, but something tells her that it stays like that for a short amount of time because of Maura's perseverance.

"You ready to go?" Korsak asks carefully.

Jane turns her head and frowns at him. "Give me another sec, all right?"

He nods and turns to talk to Frost.

She sighs heavy and counts to ten to compose herself again before she straightens up and gets into the car.

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Jane is sitting at her desk and stares at the ultrasound picture that she is holding in her hand and then her eyes find the frame that hold a picture of Maura and her. She furrows her eyebrows and shudders. Shed jumps when she feels an hand on her shoulder and she looks up at her mother, turning the ultrasound downward so Angela can't get a glimpse of it. "Ma, what are you doing here?"

Angela places an container on the desk of her daughter. "I brought you lunch."

Jane relaxes a little and smiles a little. "Thanks, Ma." She pauses and frowns. "I am sorry for snapping at you last night."

"No need to," Angela says and waves Jane's statement off. "It turned out that you've been right, Janie. I should apologize to you for giving up on Maura so easily."

Jane shakes her head with a smile. "You just trusted the first impression. You couldn't have known."

Angela takes a deep breath and nods at the item in her daughter's hands. "What is that?"

Jane follows her mother's eyes and her shoulders slump. She is in conflict with herself but then she comes to the conclusion that it would be best to tell Angela so she can Jane better.

She hesitates, though. But then she hands Angela the ultrasound.

Angela studies the item in her hand and her eyebrows shoot up as she starts to understand. "Are you -*

"No," the detective stops her and shakes her head. "No, it's not my, uh, uterus. It's Maura's."

"Maura is pregnant?" Angela asks with a hushed voice and frowns as her daughter nods. "Why haven't you told me?"

"Because Maura's only nine weeks pregnant and she wanted to wait until the second trimester."

"Oh!" Angela replies and she looks with tender eyes at Jane. " **Oh** , Jane."

Jane swallows down the lump in her throat and nods slowly.

"You'll find her. You already figured out that Maura is alive."

The detective still nods and releases slowly her breath through her mouth. "I try my best, Ma."

The matriarch smiles encouragingly at Jane and squeezes her shoulder. She knows that it would piss Jane even more off if she would try to show more affecting. "I'm gonna go now."

"Bye, Ma." Jane says and looks back on the ultrasound as her mother leaves again. _I hope that you are right, Mom_.


	19. Chapter 18

Jane enters BRIC and hands Frost the container her mother had brought her.

He furls his eyebrows and looks questioningly at her. "What is this?"

"My mother's home-made pasta." She answers and hooks her thumbs in the loops of her pants. "Did you find anything where McGowan could keep Maura?"

He is typing again on his keyboard and looks back at his screen. "I checked him thoroughly. He was born and raised in Boston and never moved out of town. He is the only child of Phillip and Molly McGowan, who were substantial farmers."

"Were?" Jane asks and furls her eyebrows. "What happened to them?"

Frost needs a moment and looks back up at the big screen. "Uh, they died in a car accident eight years ago."

"That probably was the trigger." Jane mumbles and steps forward. "They couldn't keep an eye on their screwed up son." She sighs loudly and starts to wring her hand. "What happened to the parents farm?"

"I can't find anything in McGowan's name. He probably sold it."

"No, he didn't." Jane states and steps forward. "Check his mother's maiden name."

Frost types again and frowns as the wanted information pops up. "You're right. He still owns the farm of the McKee's, his mother's family. It's family-owned."

Relief is washing through Jane's body, but she doesn't let her guard down. On the contrary, her face hardens and she starts to head out of BRIC. "Call Korsak and Frankie. That's where McGowan is keeping her!"

"You want me to give Cavanaugh an update?" He asks and gets up from the chair, Angela's pasta already forgotten.

"If you have to." She answers louder and gets her keys from the top drawer of her desk. "And bring Susie and her team, I can't guarantee what I am doing if I have the son of a bitch in my field of fire."

Frost smirks but sobers instantly as he looks at the screen. "That's an announced crime," he whispers to himself and shrugs. "I'll say that it was a form of self-protection."

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Maura is sitting on a old, uncomfortable couch in the living room of the house and flinches as Owen is sitting down close next to her, placing an arm over her shoulder. She makes a face as he pulls her closer and holds her breath, because she hopes that he hasn't noticed it.

He smiles and tucks a strand of hair behind her hair. "That's the same reaction I always get, but it will go away over time."

 _Always_ , she thinks and forces herself to look him in the eye. "You did something like this already?"

"I did," he says and shrugs. "Sometimes you have to compel someone's luck until they understand that you only want the best for them."

And it clicks in her mind. "The dead woman you burned in my car, you held her captive before you kidnapped me, didn't you."

Owen furls his eyebrows thoughtfully and says with a chuckle, "Yes, I did. But she started to understand that there is no way out of here and she complied after three months. Her name was Victoria, by the way."

 _Victoria, if that's her real name, didn't comply. She suffered from Stockholm syndrome._ She forces the words back down her throat. "What happened to her?"

"She was a pastime," he says with a heavy sigh. "A kind of experiment. I had to get rid of her when I realized that you are ready to leave the dyke who calls herself your wife. I had to wait for a year, but hey here we are."

"You don't think that Jane is giving up looking after me, do you?" She bites back and scowl at him.

He laughs amused and points at a clock at a wall. "Oh yes, I do. See, you're already for a day and a half with me and I can't see a Jane Rizzoli anywhere. If she would really would care for ya, she'd already figured out where you are. Embrace your new life, Maura."

Maura is holding his gaze and she wants to spit into his face. "You can chain me, you can torture me, you can even destroy this body, but you will never imprison my mind." She says with venom in her voice.

He hums and places an hand on her thigh. "Mahatma Gandhi." He says with a smile and leans closer. "See, that's what I mean. Jane could never who once said those wise words."

Maura scoffs and leans back. "You will never make me think that I am in love with, Owen. No matter what you're doing to me. Not until my dying breath."

"Yes, I will." He growls and wants to his Maura, but she turns her face away so his lips are missing their goal.

Something in his eyes seems to shift and his presence suddenly appears dangerously. He grabs Maura at her throat and forces her to look at him.

Maura whimpers unpleasantly as he forces his lips on hers and she tries to push him off her at his chest.

She automatically reacts as he force his tongue into her mouth and bites it until she tastes blood.

Owen howls in pain and jumps off the couch, holding his hand to his mouth. He fixes his eyes on her and raises his other hand to slap her face. But then he thinks better of it and clenches his teeth. "You pay for this." He yells at her. "You better get upstairs and take those damn clothes off, or I'm gonna cut them off your body."

Maura is sitting paralyzed on the couch and looks with big eyes at him as she realizes what she has done on autopilot. She can't hold her sobs back anymore and a loud one escapes from her throat.

Owen starts to lose it and yells at her, " **Stop crying**!"

That makes Maura cry harder and she wraps arms around her middle.

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Jane is standing with Korsak, Frost, Frankie and the SWAT commander Oliver Logan at one of the SWAT's heavy vehicles and looks up at the night sky. They gathered a ten yards away from the illuminated main house without any sirens or blue lights.

Logan looks long at her and bumps his shoulder into hers. "If this happens repeatedly, you owe me more than just one beer.

She smiles at him and sighs. "I am glad that you are leading this operation again. I trust you, man."

"That means a lot to me." He replies and nods.

She takes a deep breath and furrows her eyebrows. "The night is working for us, right, Oli?"

He licks his lips and put his black helmet on his head. "Yes, it is. He hook the grille with a steel chain on one of our APC's and yank it out." He explains and the Italian nods. "But we have another problem."

Korsak fastens the Velcro of his bulletproof vest and frowns. "You think there is a cage inside?"

"A cage?" Frost asks and looks confused at all of them as Logan nods approvingly.

"A construction drug dealer normal uses in their drug houses." Jane informs him and frowns. "It gives them enough time to get rid of the evidence before SWAT gets in. And the cage's door usual has a inward opening door." She looks at Logan and frowns even more. "Are you going to use flashcrashers?"

"That's the plan," he answers and furls his eyebrows. "What's the worried face?"

She licks her lips and takes a deep breath. "The woman inside there is pregnant."

"We can go without them, but then the moment of surprise is gone, Rizzoli." He states and holds his gaze. "Can you forgive yourself if -"

"We need to go without them." Jane cuts him off without a second thought and nods.

Logan nods as well and takes a deep breath. "All right, then. Let's get started." He says and closes the chin strap of his helmet. "I swear to God, I am glad that I am not you."

"We can switch places," Jane replies with a smile and gets her gun from the holder.

"No, thank you." He states and describe circles with his hand over his head. "Let's get down to business, guys." He whispers in his radio.

Jane is watching how a heavy APC is crawling towards the farm house and the rest of them follows it closely. She watches how two SWAT members link the steel chain with the grille.

They give the vehicle's drive their thumbs up and take cover behind the vehicle.

A set of floodlights get switched on to disorient the persons in the house, to blind them. Not the best way to distract them, but an alternative to the flashcrashers.

The engine of the APC roars ear-piercing as it reverse and the grille yank out of the wooden door frame with no resistance.

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Owen is about to stomp back to Maura and force her upstairs as a bright light is flooding the entire house, blinding them. He holds his hand up to shield his eyes from the light. "What the hell?" He yells and ducks his head as piercing sound fills the house and the house starts to shake.

Maura cries out on top of her lungs as the house starts to shake and falls back against the next wall as she heard mixed-up screaming and sees men in black entering the house.

They all scream, "Boston Police! Hands up! Hands up! Hands up!"

She starts to cry in pure relief and raises her hands over her head. Then she hers a family raspy voice yell, "Where is she? Where is my wife?" And she let her hands sink down to her sides.

Jane had a tunnel vision, that's why she hasn't seen her wife in the first place. She is tempted to pull the trigger as Owen McGowan sinks down to his knees in front of her and puts his hands on the back of his head.

She steps closer and wants to plaster the wall behind him with his brain. "Where is she?" She growls through gritted teeth and presses the barrel of her gun against his forehead as he smiles smugly at her. " **WHERE IS MY WIFE**?"

She is about to pull the trigger when he says, "Do it. Pull the trigger."

Jane face is full of disgust and hate. "Your wish is my command." She growls, but then she stops as she sees an hand on her arm that she knows by heart. And she hears a soft voice that makes her heart skip a beat.

"Jane, don't." Maura says with tears in her voice. "Please, don't. He's not worth it."

The detective's whole demeanor shifts and she turns her head to look into eyes she thought she would see no more, lowering her gun. "Maura!" She whispers.

The blonde sobs loudly and she finds herself into familiar strong arms. "I knew you were looking for me."

Jane holds onto Maura for dear life and closes her eyes. "Of course, baby. Of course I was looking for you." She pulls a little back and looks for any signs of violating. "Of course I was looking for you." She holds the smaller woman tight as Maura cries thick tears. "Oh, Maura! My sweet, kind, perfect Maura. I would' never stopped looking for you."

Maura pulls a little away and caresses the Italian's cheek with her hand. She wants to kiss her wife but stops herself as she remembers the incident from before. "I know." She croaks.

Jane shudders and furrows her eyebrows. "Are you okay? Did he do something to you?"

Maura bites her bottom lip and shakes her head. "Not really."

Jane swallows hard and nods. "Now we need **you** get to the hospital, baby."

Maura nods in approval and clings to the taller woman like she is her lifeline.

Korsak watches the two women and takes a deep breath as he cuffs McGowan.

Owen starts to chuckle and looks at the older man. "She'll never forget me."

Korsak's face darkens and he gives him a heartily push so Owen stumbles forward. "Get this scumbag out of my face or I'll shoot him myself." He growls at a SWAT.

Frost and Frankie look at each other and they give each other a fist bump with a puff of relief.

"Good job, bro." Frost sighs.

Frankie nods in agreement and watch his sister leave with Maura. "Likewise, man, likewise."

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 **So, I got this off my chest and can breath again. The case is solved and we're slowly but surely come to an end.**

 **I hope you liked this chapter.**

 **And thank you.**

 **T73.**


	20. Epilogue

**A couple of months later ….**

It has been a long and exhausting day as Jane comes home and throws her keys into the bowl.

She groans as soon as the smell of lasagna and garlic bread hits her nostrils, and drops her briefcase next to the small desk behind the couch. She throws her jacket on its back and rolls the sleeves of her dress shirt up. "I smell something good." She calls out loud and earns a laughter.

She smirks and rounds the corner that leads to the kitchen and smiles broadly as she sees Frankie and Korsak sitting on the dining table, both have a open bottle of beer in front of them. "What the hell are you doing here?"

Korsak just shrugs and smiles.

"We got invited." Frankie says and looks at their mother.

Jane rolls her eyes but something tells her that Angela isn't the culprit this time. She turns around and arches an eyebrow as a very pregnant Maura comes out of the bathroom on the first floor. She is sure that she will never get enough of this sight.

Since Owen McGowan has killed people and abducted Maura just to be with her, Jane hasn't taken the opportunity for granted that she can with the blonde. She knew from the beginning that she can count herself to the lucky ones who got the chance to call Maura her girlfriend, soul mate, partner for life. And she will never forget what their friends had done for them.

Maura wasn't the same person anymore after the incident with McGowan and had withdrawn herself from the others, and it drove Jane crazy. But the Italian created an ability that surprised everyone. Patience.

It hurt Jane in the beginning that Maura refused to kiss her or winced when she placed an hand on her thigh, but she understood it after Maura finally told her what had happened shortly before they come into the house.

That's why she let Maura control the pace and only hugged her while they watched TV or held her tight when Maura cried in sleep, whispering nothings into Maura's ears until she calmed down, and putting aside her own needs.

She had hesitated when Maura's lips accidentally brushed her own and stared at the blonde.

She has frozen, to be exact, and stopped to breath. She had turned her head and was about to ask what her wife had told her and turned her head as Maura was about to kiss her cheek.

She still can remember that her lips has tickled and that they had stared at each other before Maura finally closed the gap of their lips

Jane hummed but she didn't dare to move until Maura straddled her hips and moaned as she slipped her tongue into Jane's mouth.

Being completely in control.

It has surprised all of the detectives how thoroughly McGowan had planned Maura's kidnapping. They had found an mile-long list that entailed things what he had to do to engage the Chief Medical Examiner in a investigation, what kind of food to buy, what kind of beverages, shower utensils, clothes, and so on and so on.

It terrified Jane and Maura how much McGowan actually knew about them.

Did they learned from it? They sure did!

Jane blinks a couple of times as she feels an hand on her chest and frowns as she comes out of her train of thoughts. She isn't really sure when she had pulled Maura into her arms and hold her tight. She sighs and smiles reassuringly when she sees Maura's worried eyes. "Hey, you." She puts an hand on the swollen belly of her wife and smiles as their child decides to give her mother a kick. "I mean the two of you."

"That one is on you." Maura says and chuckles as the detective presses her lips to hers.

Jane smirks broadly and shrugs before she kisses Maura again. "I take the blame."

"Get a room," Frankie groans.

"Get a girlfriend," Jane bites back and Angela chuckles.

"Ma!" He whines.

Angela is laughing again and sits down at the head of the dining table. "She's right, Frankie."

Frankie rolls his eyes and Korsak is patting his back sympathetically.

Maura smiles broadly and rolls and takes her wife's hand in her own. "Let's sit and eat."

"Lead the way." Jane agrees and follows Maura with a grin.

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 **Later in the year …**

Jane walks up and down in the room and stares at the bundle with dark hair on top of the head in her arms in awe, rocking it gently. "Jesus, you are such a sweetheart. You're gonna break a lot of hearts … when your eighteen," she proclaim loudly and looks amused at the others groan in unison. An idiotic smile is adoring her face.

Maura rolls her eyes but smirks. She still can feel the six hour birth and all she wants to do is sleep for a couple of hours.

"Can I look at her again," Coleen, Frost's **wife** asks and stands next to the lean Italian.

"Of course." Jane answers without hesitance and smiles at the woman next to her.

"Do planning on having a child?" Maura asks with a tired voice and looks directly at Frost.

His eyebrows shoot up high and he clears his throat. "Uh, yes."

"Are you working on it?"

Jane chokes on her own saliva and she glance with huge eyes at the blonde. "Maura!"

The doctor shrugs innocently. "What?"

"It is really none of our business if they are working on it."

Maura realizes her mistake and looks apologetically at the married couple. "I am sorry."

"Don't be." Colleen really replies and looks lovingly at her husband. "We blame the exhaustion for it. We … don't work on it anymore."

"Why?" Angela pipes up.

"Ma!" Jane admonish her mother and Frost chuckles amused with his friend as he gets up to his feet.

He wraps an arm around the waist of his wife and takes a deep breath. "Because -"

"I am pregnant already." Colleen finishes as he trails off and Angela shrieks in delight.

Jane's grin grows even bigger and she looks at her friends. "Congratulations!"

Maura smiles broadly and waves Frost and Colleen to her bed. "Congratulations." She says as both of them hugs her. "I am happy for you."

"Where is the new member of the Rizzoli family," Tommy asks loud as he comes with his own son into the room and pauses as everyone stares at him. "What?"

"You can call yourself lucky that the baby isn't sleeping" Jane hisses and smiles again as her youngest brother starts to smirk.

Frost is chuckles and points at the baby. "There is your niece."

Tommy takes a look at the newborn and raises his eyebrows. "Look at that. She just looks like you, Janie."

"No, she don't." The detective says and looks at her wife.

Frankie comes into the room followed by Korsak. "Sorry for being late. I was chasing a bad guy as I got the message."

"I couldn't cut paperwork." The older man says. "Is that my godchild?"

Jane nods vehemently and the two men steps closer.

"My God," Korsak breathes in amazement.

"She looks like you, Jane." Frankie states and rubs carefully the belly of the girl.

Jane shakes her head and walks to Maura's bed. She places their daughter ln the blonde's chest and kisses the girl's head gently, the she kisses Maura's forehead and looks lovingly into hazel eyes. "You did very good, Maura."

Angela enjoys the sight and takes a deep breath. "Do you have a name for your daughter?"

Maura turns her attention to her mother-in-law and nods with a smile. "We do."

Jane nods and furrows her eyebrows. "We decided to name our daughter after Maura's paternal grandmother Elizabeth." She frowns a little. "Well, you know … her adoptive father's mother."

"We got it, Jane." Tommy says with a laugh and the other join him.

"That's a beautiful name." Angela says and walks to the bed.

Maura smiles proudly and kisses the small head. Her heart melts as a smile flashes briefly over her daughter's face.

Jane still can't believe that this isn't just a dream and shakes her head.

Maura looks questioningly up into brown eyes. "What?"

Jane bends her head and smiles like a Cheshire cat. "I love you so much." She whispers before she kisses the blonde gently.

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 **SO** , **this is it. We reached the end of the story! I hope you liked it as much as I enjoined writing it.**

 **I was asked if I could think of it to write another sequel. I actually would have an idea of one last sequel. If you are interested in -**

 **Anyway, I hope you liked this last chapter of The List. And thank you for reading it.**

 **T73.**


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